JiiPGES 


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THE  BIBLE  FOR  HOME  AND  SCHOOL 

SHAILER  MATHEWS,  General  Editor 

PROFESSOR  OF  HISTORICAL  AND   COMPARATIVE  THEOLOGY 
THE   UNIVERSITY   OF  CHICAGO 


THE   BOOK   OF   JUDGES 
EDWARD  LEWIS   CURTIS 


THE  BIBLE    FOR 

HOME    AND    SCHOOL 

SHAILER   MATHEWS,  General  Editor 

GENESIS 

By  Professor  H. 

G.  Mitchell 

DEUTERONOMY 
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JUDGES 

By  Professor  Edward  L.  Curtis 

JOB 

By  Professor  George  A.  Barton 

ISAIAH 

By  Professor  John  E.  McFadyen 

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By  Professor  A. 

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I.   BOSWORTH                                        1 

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THE  BIBLE  FOR   HOME  AND   SCHOOL 


THE   BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


BY 


EDWARD    LEWIS  CURTIS,  Ph 


LATE   PROFESSOR   OF   THE   HEBREW   LANGUAGE   AND 
LITERATURE,   YALE   UNIVERSITY 


THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 
1913 

All  rights  resfrved 


Copyright,  1913, 
By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.      Published  February,  1913. 


The  references  in  the  foot-notes  marked  "  SV"  are  to  the  American  Standard 
Edition  of  the  Revised  Bible,     Copyright,  1901,  by  Thomas  Nelson  &  Sons. 

By  permission  of  the  Publishers. 


NoriDooU  53re88 

J.  8.  Gushing  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 

Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


NOTE 

At  the  time  of  his  lamented  death,  Professor  Curtis  had 
completed  the  manuscript  for  this  volume  up  to  and  in- 
cluding Chapter  i8.  At  the  suggestion  of  the  family  of 
Professor  Curtis,  and  with  the  approval  of  the  General 
Editor,  Dr.  Albert  A.  Madsen  has  edited  the  entire  manu- 
script and  written  the  comment  upon  Chapters  19  to  21, 
inclusive,  as  well  as  adding  the  BibUography. 


GENERAL    INTRODUCTION 

The  Bible  for  Home  and  School  is  intended  to  place 
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{b)  its  presupposition  and  its  use  of  the  assured  results 
of  historical  investigation  and  criticism  wherever  such 
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tory notes  adapted  to  the  rapid  reader ;  {e)  its  thorough 
but  brief  Introductions  ;  (/)  its  use  of  the  Revised  Version 
of  1 88 1,  supplemented  with  all  important  renderings  in 
other  versions. 

Biblical  science  has  progressed  rapidly  during  the  past 
few  years,  but  the  reader  still  lacks  a  brief,  comprehensive 
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rial now  at  the  disposition  of  the  student.  It  is  hoped 
that  in  this  series  the  needs  of  intelligent  Sunday  School 
teachers  have  been  met,  as  well  as  those  of  clergymen 
and  lay  readers,  and  that  in  scope,  purpose,  and  loyalty 
to  the  Scriptures  as  a  foundation  of  Christian  thought  and 
life,  its  volumes  will  stimulate  the  intelligent  use  of  the 
Bible  in  the  home  and  the  school. 

SHAILER   MATHEWS. 


JO'-'. 


CONTENTS 

PACK 

Introduction ^ 

I.  Text I 

II.    Place  and  Contents 2 

III.  Purpose 8 

IV.  Literary  Character 9 

V.   Historical  Character 1 3 

VI.   Chronology i6 

Bibliography ^^ 

Text  and  Commentary 21 

Index '99 


THE   BOOK   OF  JUDGES 

EDWARD  LEWIS   CURTIS 


INTRODUCTION 

I.  Text 

The  text  of  the  Book  of  Judges  has  a  common  history 
with  that  of  the  Old  Testament  as  a  whole.  The  Hebrew 
manuscripts  of  the  Old  Testament  all  represent  a  single 
text  called  the  Massoretic  or  traditional  text.  Thus  these 
manuscripts  differ  widely  from  those  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, which  represent  a  number  of  variant  texts,  the  prod- 
uct of  different  copyists  who  carefully  or  with  intention 
departed  from  originals.  The  reason  for  this  uniformity 
of  Old  Testament  manuscripts  lies  in  the  great  reverence 
which  the  Jews  had  for  their  Scriptures.  This  reverence 
was  of  gradual  growth,  but  by  the  first  century  a.d.  it 
had  become  so  intense  that  the  work  of  a  copyist  was  then 
called  divine,  and  warnings  were  given  against  dropping 
or  adding  a  letter.  This  resulted  in  the  establishment, 
probably  early  in  the  second  century,  of  a  single  authorized 
text.  All  other  manuscripts  were  either  destroyed  or 
allowed  to  disappear.  Care  was  also  taken  that  manu- 
scripts worn  or  defective  through  age  should  be  destroyed. 
Hence  the  existing  manuscripts  of  the  Old  Testament  are 
all  much  younger  than  those  of  the  Greek  New  Testament. 
The  oldest  Hebrew  manuscript  of  the  Pentateuch,  the  most 
revered  portion  of  the  Jewish  Scriptures,  is  of  the  ninth 
century  A.D. ,  and  that  of  the  entire  Old  Testament  of  the 
tenth. 

B  I 


INTRODUCTION 


This  single  Massoretic  text  of  the  Old  Testament  is 
preserved  in  two  forms,  one,  the  earlier,  of  consonants 
only,  and  one  of  consonants  with  vowel  signs  which  were 
introduced  sometime  between  the  beginnings  of  the  fifth 
and  ninth  centuries  a.d.  But  the  variations  between  these 
forms  are  slight.  The  text  itself,  however,  is  not  without 
corruptions  which  came  in  before  its  authorization.  Some 
of  these  may  be  corrected  by  a  recourse  to  the  Greek  trans- 
lations of  the  third  and  second  centuries  B.C.,  and  some 
help  also  in  the  same  direction  is  given  by  the  Syriac 
translation  of  the  third  century  a.d.,  which  is  based  upon 
the  earlier  Greek.  Many  corruptions,  however,  must 
either  be  allowed  to  remain,  giving  passages  which  are 
untranslatable  or  without  meaning,  or  else  be  removed 
by  conjecture.  The  Book  of  Judges  compared  with  the 
Books  of  Samuel  has  few  of  these  corruptions.  Some,  how- 
ever, will  be  found,  especially  in  the  fifth  chapter,  the  song 
of  Deborah ;  this  like  many  passages  of  poetry  seems  to 
have  suffered  badly  at  the  hand  of  early  cop3dsts. 

II.   Place  and  Contents 

The  Book  of  Judges  is  the  seventh  book  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament in  the  Hebrew,  Greek,  and  English  Bibles,  coming 
in  the  two  latter  between  the  Books  of  Joshua  and  Ruth, 
and  in  the  first  between  the  Books  of  Joshua  and  Samuel 
(the  Book  of  Ruth  having  a  later  place  in  the  Hebrew 
Canon).  This  place  was  given  it  from  its  contents.  It 
narrates  the  history  of  Israel  from  the  conquest  of  the  land 
of  Canaan  given  in  the  Book  of  Joshua  to  the  beginnings 
of  the  establishment  of  the  Hebrew  monarchy  with  which 
the  Books  of  Samuel  open. 


INTRODUCTION 


The  book  falls  into  three  divisions:  chapters  1-2  :  5,  an 
introduction  giving  a  fragmentary  account  of  the  con- 
quest of  Canaan;  chapters  2:6-16:31,  the  main  history 
of  the  judges;  and  chapters  17-21,  an  appendix  contain- 
ing the  stories  of  the  origin  of  the  sanctuary  at  Dan  and 
of  the  sin  of  Gibeah. 

The  first  division  (1-2 :  5)  pictures  especially  the  un- 
subdued Canaanites  west  of  the  Jordan.  It  opens  with 
the  invasion  by  the  tribes  of  Judah  and  Simeon  of  their 
subsequent  territory,  situated  from  Jerusalem  southward 
and  embracing  the  regions  of  Hebron,  Debir,  and  Hormah, 
whose  captures  are  related  (i :  1-2 1).  Then  follows  the 
conquest  of  Central  and  Northern  Palestine.  The  seizure 
of  Bethel  by  the  house  of  Joseph  is  given  in  detail  (i :  22-26), 
but  the  failure  of  the  tribes  of  Manasseh,  Ephraim,  Zebu- 
lun,  Asher,  Naphtali,  and  Dan  to  completely  expel  the 
Canaanites  is  particularly  recorded.  Lists  of  the  uncon- 
quered  cities  are  given  (i :  27-36),  and  the  section  closes 
with  the  story  of  a  reproof  from  the  angel  of  Jehovah  for 
this  failure  (2  :  1-5). 

The  second  part  (2  : 6-16 :  31)  opens  with  the  mention  of 
the  death  of  Joshua  and  of  the  character  of  the  men  of  his 
generation  (2  :  6-10).  Then  follows  a  general  statement 
of  the  course  of  Israel's  history,  which  consists  of  a  series 
of  alternating  oppressions  and  deliverances  occasioned 
by  apostasies  in  the  worship  of  Jehovah  and  returns  in 
loyalty  to  him  (2:  11-3:6).  The  people  do  evil  in  the 
eyes  of  Jehovah,  who  sells  them  into  the  hand  of  their  ene- 
mies; and  in  their  distress  they  cry  unto  Jehovah,  who 
raises  up  a  judge  to  deHver  them;  but  at  his  death  they 
backslide,  and  the  same  events  are  repeated.  The  failure  of 

3 


INTRODUCTION 


Israel  to  expel  the  Canaanites,  recorded  in  the  first  section, 
is  thus  explained.  The  nations,  a  list  of  whom  is  given 
(S-  3)7  were  left  to  test  Israel's  loyalty  to  Jehovah  and  to 
teach  them  war.  After  this  introductory  history  comes  the 
history  of  the  series  of  judges  who  delivered  or  ruled  Israel 
and  from  whom  this  period  of  Israel's  history  derives  its 
name.  These  judges  are  usually  reckoned  as  twelve,  falling 
into  two  groups :  six  great  judges,  Othniel,  Ehud,  Barak 
(with  Deborah),  Gideon,  Jephthah,  and  Samson;  and  six 
minor  ones,  Shamgar,  Tola,  Jair,  Ibzan,  Elon,  and  Abdon. 
Each  of  the  great  judges  is  introduced  with  a  statement  of 
an  apostasy  and  an  oppression,  according  to  the  outline  of 
events  just  mentioned.  Then  follows  a  story  of  length 
relating  deeds  of  interest  and  valor  connected  with  the 
overthrow  of  Israel's  enemies ;  and  each  narrative  is  con- 
cluded with  the  statement  of  the  length  either  of  the 
judgeship  or  the  period  during  which  the  land  enjoyed  rest. 
The  minor  judges,  on  the  other  hand,  are  associated  with 
no  apostasies  or  oppressions  and  have  only  the  briefest 
mention.  No  exploit  except  in  the  case  of  Shamgar  is 
recorded  of  any  of  them;  and  taken  as  a  whole  they  appear 
like  an  afterthought,  added  to  make  the  number  twelve 
and  to  give  a  required  number  of  years  (see  p.  17).  With 
the  great  judges  for  interest  and  length  of  narrative  is  to 
be  classed  Abimelech,  the  king  of  Shechem,  to  whom  a  long 
chapter  (9)  is  devoted. 

Othniel,  the  first  great  judge,  rescues  Israel  from  the 
oppression  of  Cushan-rishathaim,  King  of  Mesopotamia 
(3:  7-1 1).  No  particular  exploit  is  recorded  of  him,  but 
only  the  bare  fact  of  the  deliverance.  He  thus  for  treat- 
ment stands  in  a  class  by  himself  among  the  great  judges. 

4 


INTRODUCTION 


Ehud,  the  second  great  judge,  delivers  Israel  from  the 
oppression  of  the  Moabites.  His  story  is  one  of  romantic 
exploit.  With  cunning  craft  he  assassinates  the  king  of 
Moab,  summons  his  countrymen  to  arms,  and  they,  taking 
the  fords  of  the  Jordan,  slay  not  less  than  ten  thousand 
of  their  enemies  (3  :  1 2-30) .  Ehud  is  followed  by  Shamgar, 
the  first  of  the  so-called  minor  judges.  His  record  is 
limited  to  a  single  verse  (3:31).  He  was  the  hero  of  the 
exploit  of  slaying  six  hundred  Philistines  with  an  ox- 
goad  and  is  said  to  have  saved  Israel.  Barak,  the  third 
great  judge,  also  mentioned  as  though  the  follower  of  Ehud 
with  a  period  of  oppression  between  them,  is  associated 
with  Deborah,  a  prophetess.  The  oppressor  of  Israel  is  the 
Canaanite  king  Jabin  of  Hazor,  along  with  Sisera,  the  cap- 
tain of  his  army.  Deborah  incites  Barak  to  lead  a  revolt 
and  to  take  the  field  against  Sisera,  who  meets  with  signal 
defeat  and  is  treacherously  slain  by  a  woman.  This  story 
of  revolt,  victory,  and  the  death  of  Sisera  is  twice  related, 
first  in  prose  narrative  (4 :  1-24)  and  secondly  in  a  poem 
commemorative  of  the  great  victory  (5  :  1-3 1).  The  fourth 
great  judge  is  Gideon,  who  delivers  Israel  from  the  hordes 
of  the  Midianites,  who  are  represented  as  having  completely 
overrun  the  land.  His  story  is  one  of  considerable  length 
(6:1-8:32).  He  is  called  to  his  work  by  the  angel  of 
Jehovah  and  granted  miraculous  signs.  He  selects  his 
final  army  of  three  hundred  men  on  a  singular  principle, 
and  by  the  crafty  use  of  torches  and  war-cries  he  renders 
his  foes  panic-stricken  and  wins  a  great  victory.  Summary 
vengeance  is  taken  upon  men  of  Israel  who  refused  him 
succor  when  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy.  The  people  in  grat- 
itude for  his  deliverance  are  ready  to  make  Gideon  king. 

5 


INTRODUCTION 


He  refuses,  asking  only  a  portion  of  the  spoil  from  which 
he  made  an  image  which  afterwards  caused  the  people  to 
go  astray.  Two  independent  narratives  appear  plainly 
in  this  story,  most  clearly  evident  in  the  twofold  conclu- 
sion of  the  war  (7:23-8:3  and  8:4-21).  After  the 
account  of  the  judgeship  of  Gideon  comes  the  story  of 
the  short-lived  reign  of  his  bastard  son,  Abimelech, 
whom  the  inhabitants  of  Shechem  made  their  king.  This 
story,  after  the  introduction  and  the  account  of  Abime- 
lech's  measures  to  become  king  (8 :  29-9 : 6),  presents  the 
parable  of  Jotham  on  the  appointment  of  Abimelech  as 
king,  likening  the  choice  of  him  as  sovereign  to  that  of  a 
bramble  bush  to  rule  over  the  trees  of  the  forest  (9 :  7-21). 
Then  follows  the  description  of  the  rebelUon  against  Abim- 
elech and  of  his  ignominious  death  by  the  hand  of  a 
woman  (9:  22-57).  After  the  episode  of  Abimelech  two 
minor  judges,  Tola  and  Jair,  are  mentioned  (10:1-5); 
and  then  comes  the  account  of  the  oppression  of  the  Am- 
monites and  the  story  of  the  deHverance  from  them  under 
the  leadership  of  an  outcast  and  freebooter  of  Gilead,  the 
fourth  great  judge,  Jephthah  (10:  6-12  :  7).  Three  strik- 
ing features  appear  in  this  story:  the  messages  inter- 
changed between  Jephthah  and  the  king  of  Ammon,  the 
vow  of  Jephthah  resulting  in  the  sacrifice  of  his  daughter, 
and  the  strife  between  the  men  of  Gilead  and  the  men  of 
Ephraim.  The  narrative  of  Jephthah  is  followed  by  a 
brief  record  of  the  minor  judges  Ibzan,  Elon,  and  Abdon 
(12:8-15),  and  then  is  introduced  the  sixth  great  judge, 
Samson,  the  hero  of  Dan  and  the  deliverer  from  the  Phi- 
Hstines.  Of  him  are  related  seven  most  graphic  stories: 
that  of  the  annunciation  of  his  birth  through  the  angel  of 

6 


INTRODUCTION 


Jehovah,  and  his  birth  (13  :  1-25) ;  that  of  his  wooing  and 
feast  at  Timnah  (14 :  1-20) ;  that  of  the  destruction  of  the 
PhiHstines'  harvest  through  fire  spread  by  brands  fastened 
to  foxes'  tails  (15:1-8);  that  of  the  slaughter  of  one 
thousand  men  with  the  jawbone  of  an  ass  (15:9-19); 
that  of  bearing  away  the  gates  of  the  city  Gaza  (16 : 1-3) ; 
that  of  his  amour  with  Delilah,  to  whom  he  reveals  the 
secret  of  his  strength  and  through  whom  he  is  shorn  of 
his  locks  and  delivered  to  his  enemies,  who  put  out  his  eyes 
and  cause  him  to  grind  in  prison  (16  : 4-22) ;  and  finally  the 
story  of  his  triumphant  death,  destroying  a  multitude  of  his 
PhiUstine  enemies  by  pulling  down  upon  them  and  him- 
self a  great  building  (16  :  23-31). 

The  first  story  of  the  appendix  describes  the  founding  of 
the  sanctuary  of  Dan.  A  woman  of  Mt.  Ephraim  pos- 
sessed a  considerable  quantity  of  silver  which  her  son 
stole,  but  the  mother  forgave  him  the  theft  and  turned 
the  metal  over  to  him.  He  made  thereof  an  idol  and 
created  a  sanctuary  in  which  a  wandering  Levite  was 
installed  as  priest  (17:1-13).  Members  of  the  tribe  of 
Dan  on  their  march  through  the  land  to  secure  a  home  in 
Northern  Palestine  took  both  idol  and  priest  and  estab- 
Hshed  therewith  the  sanctuary  at  Dan  (18 :  1-3 1).  The 
second  story,  the  sin  of  Gibeah,  is  a  gruesome  tale  of  a 
Levite  whose  concubine  was  so  outraged  by  the  men  of 
Gibeah  that  she  died.  He,  then,  severing  her  body,  sent 
its  pieces  through  Israel  (19 :  1-30).  This  called  the  people 
out  to  war  against  the  inhabitants  of  Gibeah,  who  were 
defended  by  their  fellow  tribesmen  of  Benjamin.  They 
were  defeated  and  nearly  all  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  was 
massacred,  six  hundred  men  alone  escaping  (chap.  20). 

7 


INTRODUCTION 


All  the  assembled  people  of  Israel  had  bound  themselves 
by  an  oath  not  to  give  their  daughters  in  marriage  to  the 
Benjamites.  Hence  to  provide  the  survivors  with  wives* 
lest  a  tribe  should  become  extinct,  the  Israelites  sent  an 
expedition  against  the  inhabitants  of  Jabesh-gilead,  who 
had  not  joined  with  the  rest  of  Israel,  and  all  were  put  to 
the  sword  except  four  hundred  virgins  who  were  spared  to 
become  the  wives  of  four  hundred  Benjamites  (21 :  1-14). 
The  remaining  two  hundred  were  allowed  to  provide  them- 
selves with  wives  by  seizing  virgins  of  Shiloh  when  in 
attendance  at  the  dances  of  the  annual  feast  of  Jehovah 
(21:15-25). 

III.  Purpose 

The  purpose  of  the  Book  of  Judges  has  already  been 
indicated  in  part.  It  was  designed  to  furnish  a  history  of 
Israel  during  the  period  intervening  between  the  death  of 
Joshua  and  the  birth  of  Samuel,  or,  as  stated,  from  the 
close  of  the  conquest  of  Canaan  to  the  beginnings  of  the 
Hebrew  monarchy.  But  this  was  not  its  only  purpose. 
The  main  portion  of  the  book  (2:6-16:31)  was  clearly 
designed  to  teach  a  great  religious  lesson,  to  wit,  that 
departure  from  the  service  of  Jehovah,  especially  in  the 
worship  of  other  gods,  brought  oppression  and  disaster 
upon  the  people  of  Israel,  from  which  relief  might  be  ob- 
tained by  crying  to  Jehovah,  who  stood  ready  to  raise  up 
a  deliverer,  under  whom  rest  from  foreign  oppression 
might  be  enjoyed.  This  is  the  meaning  of  the  general 
introduction  (2  :  6-3  :  6)  and  the  repeated  formula  with 
which  the  story  of  each  great  judge  is  usually  opened  and 
closed ;  i.e.  The  people  sinned  and  were  given  by  Jehovah 

8 


INTRODUCTION 


into  the  hands  of  their  enemies,  who  oppressed  them  certain 
years,  when  they  cried  unto  Jehovah,  who  raised  up  a  deliv- 
erer (whose  deliverance  is  then  related)  and  the  land  had 
rest  certain  years  (3  :  7-9,  11,  12-15  a,  3°  ^  5  4  •  1-3  5  5  • 
31b;  6:1-6;  8  :  28  ;  10 :  6-18 ;  13  :  i ;  15  :  20). 

The  Book  of  Judges  presents,  therefore,  a  constant  lesson 
of  the  divine  government  and  has  a  common  feature  with 
the  Books  of  Joshua,  Kings,  and  Chronicles,  all  of  which 
were  designed  to  inculcate  similar  great  principles  of  divine 
rule  and  thus  to  guide  human  conduct,  especially  the  na- 
tional conduct  of  Israel.  (The  same  fact  appears  in  the 
earlier  chapters  of  the  Books  of  Samuel,  but  less  distinctly 
in  the  remainder  of  those  books  which  are  more  purely 
historical.)  The  spirit  and  form  of  this  teaching  in  the 
Book  of  Judges  is  especially  that  of  Deuteronomy,  which 
contains  repeated  prohibitions  and  warnings  in  connection 
with  the  worship  or  service  of  any  god  but  Jehovah 
(Deut.  6:  14  f . ;  7:4;  8  :  19  f . ;  11:  i6f. ;  12:30;  i3:6ff. ; 
30 :  17  ff.),  and  threatens  such  defection  with  dire  disasters 
(Deut.  7:4;  8:19  f.;  30:  17  ff.)- 

IV.  Literary  Character 

The  Book  of  Judges  shares  with  other  books  of  the 
Old  Testament  the  characteristic  of  being,  not  the  work 
of  one  writer  nor  the  product  of  a  single  generation,  but 
a  literary  growth  of  centuries.  Its  composition  can  best 
be  understood  in  the  light  of  that  of  the  Hexateuch,  the 
first  six  books  of  the  Old  Testament,  which  originally  were 
a  literary  unit.  Three  great  strands  or  documents  run 
through  these  books.  The  most  prominent  of  these,  though 
the  latest,  is  a  priestly  writing  in  the  main  of  the  fifth  cen- 

9 


INTRODUCTION 


tury  consisting  very  largely  of  laws,  embracing  the  Book 
of  Leviticus  and  the  related  parts  of  Exodus  and  Numbers ; 
and  yet  consisting  also  of  a  historical  narrative  which  com- 
mences with  an  account  of  the  creation  and  ends  with 
the  allotment  of  the  tribes  in  the  land  of  Canaan.  This 
narrative  is  statistical  and  formal  in  character,  marked 
with  a  well-defined  progress  in  divine  revelation  or  law,  and 
especially  with  the  conception  of  Israel  as  fully  organized 
by  Moses  into  a  theocracy  or  church.  This  document, 
ordinarily  called  the  Priests'  Code,  is  symbolized  by  modern 
scholars  by  the  letter  P,  representing  both  the  Uterary 
material  itself  and  the  author  or  authors. 

Next  earlier  in  age  to  the  Priests'  Code  and  of  the  half 
century  beginning  about  625  B.C.  is  the  strand  or  docu- 
ment which  embraces  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy  (with 
minute  exceptions)  and  related  parts  of  the  Book  of  Joshua, 
and  possibly  a  few  verses  in  the  earlier  books.  This,  as 
seen  in  Deuteronomy,  is  clearly  marked  by  its  hortatory 
character  and  the  stress  which  it  lays  upon  the  worship  of 
Jehovah  and  the  keeping  of  the  statutes  and  command- 
ments, with  well-defined  principles  of  divine  retribution  in 
rewards  and  punishments.  Its  symbol,  applied  both  to 
the  writing  and  the  author  or  authors,  is  the  letter  D. 

The  third  and  earliest  strand  or  document  is  a  narrative 
called  prophetic  because  it  reveals  a  divine  purpose  for 
the  future.  In  its  completed  form  this  was  designed  to 
give  a  history  of  Israel  from  the  creation  to  a  much  later 
period  than  the  conquest  of  Canaan.  This,  composed 
largely  of  stories,  is  the  naive  and  picturesque  element  of 
the  Hexateuch.  It  is  a  resultant  of  the  literature  which 
grew   from   the   entertainment   of   assemblies   at   family 


INTRODUCTION 


hearths,  camp-fires,  and  sanctuaries.  With  this  some  early 
laws  have  also  been  combined.  A  line  of  cleavage  exists 
in  this  strand  or  document,  and  it  is  really  composed  of  two 
primary  ones,  known  as  the  Jahvistic  (Jehovistic)  and  Elo- 
histic,  so  called  from  the  names  of  deity,  Jahweh  (Jehovah) 
and  Elohim,  used  in  its  respective  parts  in  Genesis.  Its 
symbol  is  JE  and  those  of  the  two  primary  documents 
J  and  E.  Of  these  latter  J  is  the  earlier.  Both  were 
probably  composed  in  the  eighth  century  (possibly  J  in  the 
ninth)  and  were  united  into  JE  in  the  seventh.  The  place 
of  composition  or  origin  of  J  was  in  Judah  or  the  Southern 
Kingdom  while  E  came  from  the  Northern  Kingdom, 
hence  J  is  called  the  Judean  Narrative  and  E  the  Ephra- 
imite.  The  two  narratives  J  and  E  are  not  very  dissimilar, 
and  yet  each  is  characterized  in  some  degree  by  its  own 
vocabulary  and  phrases  and  notably,  as  already  mentioned, 
in  the  use  of  terms  for  deity.  E  is  rougher  in  style  than  J. 
Certain  conceptions  also  distinguish  them.  J  is  the  more 
naive.  Jehovah  appears  in  J  frequently  in  human  form 
and  talks  directly  with  men.  In  E  God  is  more  remote  and 
usually  reveals  himself  or  his  word  in  a  dream.  E  exhibits 
more  reflection  than  J.  Its  author  is  not  so  simple-minded. 
In  E^,  a  revision  of  E,  the  author  approaches  the  concep- 
tions of  Deuteronomy. 

All  of  these  works,  symbolized  by  the  letters  P,  D,  J, 
and  E,  are  regarded  as  the  products  of  schools  of  writers 
rather  than  individuals.  They  bear  the  marks  of  not  being 
continuous,  or  written  by  a  single  author,  and  occasionally 
of  revision  (for  example,  as  mentioned,  there  is  E  and 
E^).  Account  must  also  be  taken  of  the  editor  who  united 
JE,  i.e.  RJ^,  and  other  editors  who  gradually  brought  the 

II 


INTRODUCTION 


documents  JE,  D,  and  P  together  and  thus  formed  the 
Hexateuch.  Viewing  the  Hexateuch  as  a  whole,  it  re- 
sembles in  structure  largely  a  harmony  of  the  Gospels, 
one  which  might  have  passed  through  several  editions,  as 
though  at  first  the  Hfe  of  Christ  had  been  written  by  the 
union  of  the  Gospels  of  Matthew  and  Mark,  and  then  later, 
to  this  those  of  Luke  and  John  had  been  added,  and  the 
compilers  had  also  felt  free  in  places  to  annotate  and  change 
according  to  their  own  view^s. 

The  structure  of  the  Book  of  Judges,  while  far  from 
being  identical  with  that  of  the  Hexateuch  or  such  a  har- 
mony of  the  Gospels  as  we  have  described,  is  not  altogether 
dissimilar.  Already  in  the  description  of  its  purpose  we 
have  noticed,  in  connection  with  its  second  or  main  part, 
the  introductions  and  conclusions  of  the  narratives  of  the 
great  judges  (see  pp.  8  f.).  These  form  a  framework  in 
which  the  stories  of  the  judges  are  set.  The  writer  of  this 
framework,  who  composed  in  the  spirit  of  Deuteronomy 
(see  p.  lo),  clearly  shaped  the  main  portion  of  our  book 
(2  :  6-16  :  31)  and  may  be  called  its  Deuteronomic  author. 
The  stories,  however,  were  not  written  by  him.  Scholars 
are  not  entirely  agreed  in  regard  to  their  source,  whether 
they  existed  independently  or  were  taken  from  a  continua- 
tion of  JE,  the  constituent  part  of  the  Hexateuch.  This 
latter  is  the  prevailing  view  and  the  one  adopted  in  this 
Commentary.  Such  a  composite  source  explains  the  dupli- 
cate stories  of  Gideon  (see  p.  6)  and  other  seeming  traces 
of  double  narratives.  The  history  of  the  Book  of  Judges, 
then,  is  as  follows :  Sometime  during  the  sixth  century  a 
member  of  the  Deuteronomic  school  of  writers,  having 
before  him  the  great  historical  work  JE,  took  from  it  the 


INTRODUCTION 


stories  of  Ehud,  Barak,  Gideon,  Jephthah,  and  Samson  and 
gave  them  their  Deuteronomic  setting,  writing  likewise  the 
introduction,  and  the  account  of  the  judgeship  of  Othniel. 
His  work,  beginning  with  the  death  of  Joshua,  and  closing 
with  the  judgeship  of  Samson,  consisted  of  2  : 6-16  :  31  with 
the  exception  of  chapter  9,  the  story  of  Abimelech,  which 
shows  no  trace  of  his  hand,  and  3:31;  10 :  1-5  ;  12  :  8-15, 
the  accounts  of  the  minor  judges,  and  possibly  also  chapter 
16.  In  the  fifth  or  fourth  century  another  writer  turned 
again  to  the  work  of  JE  and  excerpted  from  it  the  other 
two  parts  of  our  book,  the  introduction,  1-2  :  5,  and  the  ap- 
pendix, 17-21,  both  of  which  he  edited  with  considerable 
annotations  or  additions.  He  also  added  chapters  9  and 
16  and  the  accounts  of  the  minor  judges,  although  these 
last  may  have  been  composed  independently  of  JE.  This 
author  or  editor  belonged  to  the  school  of  P  and  we  call  him 
the  priestly  editor,  giving  him  the  symbol  R^.  He  virtually 
completed  the  Book  of  Judges,  although  a  few  annotations 
may  have  been  made  later.  The  verse  describing  the 
action  of  Shamgar  (3:31)  seems  to  have  been  one  of  these. 
We  will  find,  then,  in  our  Book  of  Judges  all  this  various 
material;  the  naive  stories  of  J,  united  or  inextricably  woven 
together  with  the  more  reflective  stories  of  E  and  E^.  A 
few  paragraphs  will  appear  from  the  compiler  of  JE,  RJ^, 
then  considerable  material  from  the  Deuteronomic  author 
of  Judges,  and  still  later  from  the  priestly  editor,  and 
probably,  as  mentioned,  some  from  another  final  hand. 

V.  Historical  Character 

The  contents  of  the  Book  of  Judges  taken  as  a  whole 
are  legendary  rather  than  historical.     By  that  we  mean 

13 


INTRODUCTION 


that,  while  actual  events  gave  rise  to  much  of  its  narrative, 
the  form  in  which  these  events  are  related  is  that  of  the 
story-teller  and  religious  teacher  and  not  that  of  the  sober 
historian.  The  narratives  were  composed  primarily  to 
entertain,  and  then  later  were  edited  to  teach  religous  les- 
sons. The  imagination  had  free  play  in  their  composition, 
and  they  abound  in  the  marvels  which  belong  to  all  such 
early  literature.  To  some  this  view  of  a  book  of  the  Bible 
may  come  as  a  shock,  and  yet  no  one  ought  thereby  to  be 
disturbed.  Morality  can  be  taught  by  fable,  the  Gospel 
by  parables,  and  so  likewise  legend  has  its  place  in  the 
teaching  of  religion.  The  supreme  value  of  the  Bible 
lies  in  its  revelation  of  God,  or  the  introduction  of  God  into 
the  sphere  of  human  Hfe.  This  revelation  or  introduction 
required  the  use  of  the  imagination,  hence  legend  became 
its  appropriate  vehicle.  A  bare  chronicle  of  events  has 
never  produced  such  results  and  never  can.  Hence  mod- 
ern scholarship,  in  showing  the  legendary  character  of 
much  of  the  Scripture,  has  confirmed  this  principle  of 
knowledge.  The  historical  books  are  now  intelligible 
to  all  thinking  men.  They  speak  of  God  through  human 
experience. 

But  in  the  legends  of  the  judges  lie  embedded  his- 
torical facts.  In  the  introduction  to  our  book  (1-2 : 5) 
an  accurate  outHne  of  the  conquest  of  Canaan  is  given. 
The  tribes  obtained  a  foothold  in  the  South  and  then  in 
Central  and  Northern  Palestine,  and  the  Canaanites  re- 
tained possession  of  a  large  number  of  cities  as  mentioned. 
This  continued  until  the  reigns  of  David  and  Solomon,  dur- 
ing which  these  Canaanite  cities  were  absorbed  into  Israel. 
Behind  the  story  of  the  first  great  judge,  Othniel,  it  is 

14 


INTRODUCTION 


barely  possible  that  there  may  have  been  a  struggle  with 
Edom ;  but  if  such  history  is  there,  it  has  been  entirely 
distorted,  and  a  narrative  really  unhistorical  has  taken 
its  place. 

The  story  of  Ehud  rests  not  unlikely  upon  a  real  oc- 
currence. There  is  nothing  improbable  in  the  oppression 
of  a  portion  of  Israel  by  the  Moabites  and  the  deliverance 
through  the  crafty  assassination  of  the  king. 

The  deliverance  through  Barak  and  Deborah,  as  far  as 
it  relates  a  great  victory  over  Sisera,  a  Canaanitish  king 
of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  is  undoubtedly  historical,  and 
interwoven  with  it  is  a  reminiscence  of  an  earlier  actual 
struggle  with  Jabin,  King  of  Hazor.  That  the  elements 
favored  the  Israelites  in  battle  and  that  Sisera  was  treach- 
erously slain  are  no  doubt  real  events.  The  details  of 
the  muster  for  battle  given  in  the  poem  are  probably 
authentic. 

Behind  the  long  and  complex  story  of  Gideon  we  find 
a  decisive  defeat  by  that  hero  of  troublesome  Bedouin 
marauders.  We  beUeve  also  that  he  set  up  an  image  of 
Jehovah  and  that  he  ruled  over  a  district  of  the  region  of 
Shechem  as  a  petty  king.  The  story  of  the  short-lived 
kingdom  of  Abimelech  even  in  its  detail  is  also  essentially 
historic. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  story  of  Jephthah.  He  was  a 
real  warrior  who  delivered  the  land  of  Gilead  from  the 
encroachment  of  either  the  Ammonites  or  the  Moabites. 
The  sacrifice  of  his  daughter  actually  took  place. 

In  the  stories  of  Samson  we  find  httle  of  real  history. 
There  may  have  been  an  Israehtish  hero  of  that  name  that 
harassed  the  Phihstines,  but  the  Samson  of  the  Book  of 

IS 


INTRODUCTION 


Judges  is  certainly  half  mythical,  and  his  exploits  are  not 
inaptly  compared  with  those  of  the  Greek  Hercules. 

The  story  of  the  founding  of  the  sanctuary  of  Dan  as 
far  as  it  relates  to  the  plundering  of  a  sanctuary  in  Mt. 
Ephraim  and  the  enticement  therefrom  of  a  priest  is  cer- 
tainly plausible  and  on  no  good  grounds  can  its  historicity 
be  denied. 

What  lies  in  the  story  of  Gibeah  is  entirely  obscure. 
Real  history,  however,  is  there ;  but  the  original  events, 
beyond  some  crime  and  some  summary  vengeance  upon 
a  number  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  are  no  longer  recogniz- 
able ;  and  conjectures,  though  interesting,  cannot  give  the 
real  facts. 

VI.   Chronology 

The  following  chronological  data  are  found  in  the  Book 

of  Judges : 

3  :  8    Israel  serves  Cushan-rishathaim     ...  8  years 

3:11  Peace  after  the  deliverance  by  Othniel     .  40  years 

3  :  14  Israel  serves  Eglon 18  years 

3  :  30  Peace  after  the  deliverance  of  Ehud    .     .  80  years 

4  •  3    Oppression  by  Jabin 20  years 

5:31  Peace  after  the  deliverance  by  Barak  .     .  40  years 

6 : 1    Oppression  by  Midian 7  years 

8 :  28  Peace  after  the  deliverance  by  Gideon     .  40  years 

9:22  Reign  of  Abimelech 3  years 

10 : 2    Rule  of  Tola 23  years 

10 :  3    Rule  of  Jair 22  years 

10 :  8    Oppression  by  Ammon 18  years 

12:7    Rule  of  Jephthah     ........  6  years 

12:9    Rule  of  Ibzan 7  years 

16 


INTRODUCTION 


12:  II  Rule  of  Elon 10  years 

12  :  14  Rule  of  Abdon 8  years 

13  :  I    Oppression  by  the  Philistines     ....  40  years 
15  :  20 ;  16  :  31  Samson  judges  Israel      ....  20  years 

This  total  of  410  years  is  too  long  to  fit  into  any  scheme 
either  of  biblical  or  actual  chronology  covering  the  period 
of  the  judges.  It  is  evident  then  that  the  periods  of  foreign 
service  or  oppression  should  be  eliminated  and  only  the 
periods  of  rest  or  judgeship  be  retained.  This  is  after  the 
common  method  of  reckoning,  in  which  years  of  insurrec- 
tion or  illegitimate  sovereignty  are  omitted  in  giving  the 
length  of  dynasties.  No  English  royalist,  for  example, 
would  give  the  period  of  the  Commonwealth  in  reckoning 
the  length  of  the  rule  of  the  House  of  Stuart,  but  those 
years  would  be  included  under  the  reign  of  Charles  the 
Second.  Omitting  then  the  periods  of  foreign  service  and 
oppression  and  the  reign  of  Abimelech,  we  have  for  the 
period  of  judgeship  or  peace  in  the  land,  Othniel  40  years, 
Ehud  80  years,  Barak  40  years,  Gideon  40  years,  Samson 
20  years,  and  Jephthah  and  the  minor  judges  taken  to- 
gether 76  years,  or  a  total  of  296  years.  If  now  to  these 
years  are  added  the  40  years  of  the  sojourn  in  the  wilder- 
ness, 20  years  as  the  period  of  the  conquest  under  Joshua 
and  of  the  life  of  the  elders  of  his  generation,  40  years  the 
judgeship  of  Eli  (i  Sam.  4: 18),  20  years  as  the  judgeship 
of  Samuel,  and  20  years  as  the  reign  of  Saul,  and  the  40 
years  of  the  reign  of  David  (i  Kgs.  2:11)  and  the  4  of  the 
reign  of  Solomon  to  the  laying  of  the  foundation  of  the 
Temple  (i  Kgs.  6:1),  the  total  is  480  years :  or  the  exact 
period  said  to  have  elapsed  from  the  Exodus  to  the  found- 
c  17 


INTRODUCTION 


ing  of  the  Temple  (i  Kgs.  6:  i).  This  result  shows  that 
this  reckoning  of  the  Book  of  Judges  was  made  to  fit  into 
that  scheme  of  chronology  which  placed  the  period  from 
the  Exodus  to  the  founding  of  the  Temple  at  exactly  480 
years  or  twelve  periods  of  40  years  each.  The  actual 
period  of  Israel's  history  covered  by  the  Book  of  Judges 
is  probably  about  150  years,  beginning  in  the  first  half  of 
the  twelfth  century. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

A  BRIEF  SELECTED  LIST  OF  WRITINGS  ON  THE  BOOK 
OF  JUDGES  FOR  THE  ENGLISH  READER 

Bible  Dictionaries,  articles  on  Judges  (Book  of),  Othniel,  Ehud,  etc. 
Black,  J.  S,  Judges  (in  Smaller  Cambridge  Bible  for  Schools).  1892. 
Cassel,  Paulus.     The  Book  of  Judges  (in  Lange's  Commentary). 

1872.     Translated  from  the  German  with  additions. 
Cooke,  G.  A.     The  History  and  Song  of  Deborah.     1892. 
Driver,  S.  R.     An  Introduction  to  the  Literature  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, sixth  and  following  editions,  pp.  160-172. 
Driver,  S.  R.     The  Book  of  Judges,  in  The  Expositor,  eighth  series, 

Vol.  II,  pp.  385-404,  520-530  (Nov.  and  Dec,  1911);  Vol.  Ill, 

pp.  24-38,  129-136  (Jan.  and  Feb.,  191 2). 
DuMMELOW,  J.  R.,  Editor.    A  Commentary  on  the  Holy  Bible,  by 

various  writers,  pp.  155-172. 
Hervey,  a.  C.    Judges  (in  Speaker's  Commentary,  1872,  and  in 

Pulpit  Commentary,  1881). 
Keil,  C.  F.     Judges  (in  Biblical  Commentary  on  the  Old  Testament). 

Translated  from  the  German,  1868. 
Kennedy,  A.  R.  S.     The  Book  of  Judges  (in  The  Temple  Bible). 
Kent,  Charles  Foster.     Narratives  of  the  Beginnings  of  Hebrew 

History  (in  The  Student's  Old  Testament),  pp.  271-310.     1904. 

Text  printed  according  to  sources  in  parallel  columns.    Also 

brief  notes. 

18 


INTRODUCTION 


Kent,  Charles  Foster.  The  Founders  and  Rulers  of  United 
Israel  (in  The  Historical  Bible),  pp.  15-62.     1908. 

Lias,  J.  J.  The  Book  of  Judges  (in  The  Cambridge  Bible  for  Schools 
and  Colleges).     1902.     Text  and  Commentary. 

McFadyen,  J.  E.  The  Messages  of  the  Prophetic  and  Priestly  His- 
torians (in  The  Messages  of  the  Bible),  pp.  121-138.     1901. 

Moore,  George  Foot.  A  Critical  and  Exegetical  Commentary  on 
Judges  (in  The  International  Critical  Commentary).     1895. 

Moore,  George  Foot.  The  Book  of  Judges  (in  Paul  Haupt's 
Polychrome  Bible).  1898.  Text,  printed  on  colored  back- 
ground indicating  the  sources,  with  notes. 

M'uller,  David  Heinrich.  The  Structure  of  the  Song  of  Deborah, 
in  American  Journal  of  Theology,  Vol.  II  (1898),  pp.  110-115. 

Thatcher,  G.  W.  Judges  (in  The  Century  Bible).  Text  and 
commentary. 

Vernon,  Ambrose  W.  The  Religious  Value  of  the  Figure  of  Samson, 
in  BibUcal  World,  Vol.  XXXII  (July,  1908),  pp.  33-38. 

Watson,  Robert  A.    Judges  (in  The  Expositor's  Bible).     1890. 

Wellhausen,  Julius.  Prolegomena  to  the  History  of  Israel, 
pp.  228-245.     1885. 

The  More  Important  Abbreviations 


AV 

ARV 

RV 

Or. 

Heb. 

m.   . 


Authorized  (King  James)  Version. 

American  Revised  Version. 

English  Revised  Version. 

Septuagint. 

Hebrew. 

margin. 


Explanation  of  Letters  in  the  Margin  of  Text  (see  also  the 
Introduction) 

J The  Yahwist  Document. 

E The  Elohist  Document. 

JE These  two  documents  combined. 

£2 Later  additions  to  the  Elohist  Document. 

19 


INTRODUCTION 


R Passages  by  a  redactor  or  editor  of  uncertain  date. 

RJE Additions  by  the  redactor  who  combined  J  and  E. 

RD Additions  by  the  Deuteronomic  redactor. 

rp Additions  by  the  Priestly  redactors. 


20 


THE    BOOK   OF   JUDGES 

A.    THE   CONQUEST   OF   CANAAN  AND  THE 
SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  TRIBES,  i ;  1-2  :  5 

I.  Conquests  in  Southern  and  Central  Palestine, 
1 : 1-26 

1.  And  it  came  to  pass  after  the  death  of  Joshua,  that  ^^   I :  I 
the  children  of  Israel  asked  of  the  Lord,  saying,  Who  J 

1:1-2:5.  In  this  section  of  the  Book  of  Judges  are  given  in 
the  briefest  outline  an  account  of  the  conquest  by  the  tribes  of 
Judah  and  Simeon  of  the  Canaanites  of  the  district  near  Jerusa- 
lem (i :  1-8),  of  those  located  at  Hebron  and  Debir  (i :  9-15),  of 
those  of  the  land  farther  south  (i :  16  f.),  and  likewise  of  those 
of  the  lowland  or  Shephelah  to  the  west  (i :  18-21) ;  an  account 
of  the  conquest  by  the  house  of  Joseph  of  Bethel  (i :  22-26); 
and  then  lists  of  unconquered  Canaanites  who  dwelt  in  the  ter- 
ritories of  the  tribes  of  Manasseh,  Ephraim,  Zebulun,  Asher, 
Naphtali,  and  Dan  (i :  27-36) ;  and  finally  an  explanation  of 
the  presence  of  these  unconquered  Canaanites  (2  :  1-5).  The 
section  is  from  the  primitive  document  J,  but  has  been  annotated 
or  glossed  by  the  priestly  editor,  R^. 

I.  And  it  came  to  pass  after  the  death  of  Joshua.  A  statement 
from  the  canonical  editor  to  show  the  relation  of  the  Book  of 
Judges  to  the  Book  of  Joshua  which  closes  with  the  death  of 
Joshua.  In  reality,  however,  this  chapter  describes  the  con- 
quest, and  is  another  version  of  that  related  in  the  Book  of 
Joshua  as  having  taken  place  under  Joshua.  That  the  children 
of  Israel  asked  of  the  Lord.  The  original  connection  of  this 
asking  is  not  here  given.  It  presupposes  that  the  Jordan  had 
been  crossed  and  Jericho  conquered  (cf.  Josh.  3-6).  We  may 
think  of  the  tribes  of  Israel  encamped  in  the  neighborhood  of 


i:2 


THE  BOOK  OF   JUDGES 


shall  go  up  for  us  first  against  the  Canaanites,  to 

2.  fight  against  them?  And  the  Lord  said,  Judah  shall 
go  up  :  behold,  I  have  delivered  the  land  into  his  hand. 

3.  And  Judah  said  unto  Simeon  his  brother,  Come  up 
with  me  into  my  lot,  that  we  may  fight  against  the 
Canaanites ;   and  I  likewise  will  go  with  thee  into  thy 

RP  4.  lot.  So  Simeon  went  with  him.  And  Judah  went  up ; 
and  the  Lord  delivered  the  Canaanites  and  the  Periz- 
zites  into  their  hand:    and  they  smote  of  them  in 


that  city.  The  asking  was  probably  either  by  the  Urim  and 
Thummim,  i  Sam.  14 :  41  (Greek  text)  or  by  the  Ephod,  i  Sam. 
23  :  9 ;  30  •  7>  i-^-  by  some  kind  of  lot.  The  Canaanites.  The 
pre-Israelitish  inhabitants  of  Western  Palestine.  Canaan  as  a 
geographical  name  seems  to  have  been  first  applied  to  the  coast 
land  of  Phoenicia  and  then  southward  to  Egypt  and  eastward 
into  the  highlands  west  of  the  Jordan. 

2.  The  response  of  the  oracle  or  inquiry  is  here  given. 

3.  Simeon  his  brother.  The  two  tribes  of  Judah  and  Simeon 
together  with  Reuben  and  Levi  were  closely  related.  The 
patriachal  legend  made  them  the  successive  sons  of  Jacob  and 
Leah  (Gen.  29 :  31-35).  Into  my  lot.  This  implies  that  in  some 
way  the  invading  tribes  had  divided  the  land  between  them. 
While  historically  this  is  not  impossible,  more  likely  it  is  a  later 
conception.  So  Simeon  went  with  him.  In  historic  times 
Simeon  and  Judah  occupied  adjacent  territory,  the  former  dwelling 
to  the  south  of  the  latter. 

4.  The  Lord  delivered.  The  writer  ignores  the  second  cause, 
and  after  the  usual  Old  Testament  method  ascribes  the  victory 
to  Jehovah.  The  Perizzites.  An  obscure  designation  of  a 
people  of  Palestine.  It  is  uncertain  whether  they  represented  a 
tribe,  perhaps  of  an  earlier  population  than  the  Canaanites,  or 
a  class  of  Canaanite  villagers.  Bezek.  An  unknown  locality 
not  far,  as  the  context  shows,  from  Jerusalem.  Another  Bezek 
is  mentioned  in  i  Sam.  11:8.  This  has  been  identified  with 
Ibzik,  some  fourteen  miles  southwest  of  Beisan,  the  ancient 
Beth-shan. 


THE   BOOK   OF   JUDGES  ng 


5.  Bezek  ten  thousand  men.     And  they  found  Adoni-  J 
bezek  in  Bezek :  and  they  fought  against  him,  and 

6.  they  smote  the  Canaanites  and  the  Perizzites.  But 
Adoni-bezek  fled;  and  they  pursued  after  him,  and 
caught  him,  and  cut  off  his  thumbs  and  his  great  toes. 

7.  And  Adoni-bezek  said.  Threescore  and  ten  kings, 
having  their  thumbs  and  their  great  toes  cut  off, 
gathered  their  meat  under  my  table :  as  I  have  done, 
so  God  hath  requited  me.  And  they  brought  him  to 
Jerusalem,  and  he  died  there. 

8.  And  the  children  of  Judah  fought  against  Jeru-  rp 
salem,  and  took  it,  and  smote  it  with  the  edge  of  the 

9.  sword,  and  set  the  city  on  fire.    And  afterward  the 

5.  Adoni-bezek.  This  name,  meaning  lord  of  Bezek,  is  anoma- 
lous. Probably  by  some  confusion  it  stands  for  Adoni-zedek, 
"  lord  of  righteousness,"  the  name  of  the  king  of  Jerusalem  accord- 
ing to  Josh,  10 :  I,  3. 

6.  Cut  off  his  thumbs  and  his  great  toes.  Such  mutilation 
was  not  uncommon  in  ancient  warfare,  although  not  mentioned 
elsewhere  in  the  Old  Testament.  The  Greeks  and  Hannibal 
and  Caesar  are  said  to  have  thus  treated  captives. 

7.  Threescore  and  ten  kings.  This  seems  like  an  exaggera- 
tion, yet  each  city  in  Palestine  generally  had  its  king.  Under 
my  table.  The  table  was  a  small  low  stand :  diners  sat  on  the 
ground ;  hence  the  captives  were  not  actually  under  the  table, 
but  gathered  like  dogs  pieces  which  fell  from  the  table  (cf.  Matt. 
15  :  27).  And  they  brought  him  to  Jerusalem.  His  own  people, 
since  Jerusalem  was  not  taken  (v.  21). 

8.  And  the  children  of  Judah  fought,  etc.  This  verse  con- 
tradicts V.  21  and  all  that  is  known  of  the  history  of  Jerusalem 
elsewhere  (cf.  19:  11  f . ;  Josh.  15:  63).  The  city  was  not  taken 
until  the  time  of  David  (2  Sam.  5:  6-9).  Hence  this  verse  is  a 
gloss  added  by  some  one  who  interpreted  the  last  clause  of  the 
previous  verse  to  mean  that  the  men  of  Judah  carried  Adoni- 
bezek  to  Jerusalem. 

23 


1 :  10  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


children  of  Judah  went  down  to  fight  against  the 
Canaanites  that  dwelt  in  the  hill  country,  and  in 
J  lo.  the  South,  and  in  the  lowland.  And  Judah  went 
against  the  Canaanites  that  dwelt  in  Hebron :  (now 
the  name  of  Hebron  beforetime  was  Kiriath-arba :) 
and  they  smote  Sheshai,  and  Ahiman,  and  Talmai. 
II.  And  from  thence  he  went  against  the  inhabitants  of 
Debir.     (Now  the   name    of    Debir   beforetime  was 


9.  This  verse  is  introductory  to  vv.  10-21  and  summarizes 
in  physical  divisions  the  land  conquered  by  Judah  subsequent 
to  the  defeat  of  the  Canaanites  near  Jerusalem.  The  hill  country. 
The  central  mountainous  region  of  Judah,  having  its  highest 
elevation  at  Hebron.  The  South.  Heb.  the  Negeb,  the  arid 
plain  extending  southward,  stretching  off  into  the  desert  between 
Egypt  and  Palestine.  The  lowland.  Heb.  Shephelah,  generally 
the  western  foothills  between  Philistia  and  the  Judean  hill  coun- 
try, but  here  seems  also  to  include  the  maritime  plain  (v.  18). 
Many  ancient  geographical  names  in  Palestine  are  used  in  both 
a  narrow  and  a  broad  sense. 

Vv.  10-15  appear  also  in  Josh.  15  :  13-19.  This  shows  that 
both  the  author  or  compiler  of  Joshua  and  of  this  section  of 
Judges  incorporated  material  from  a  common  source  usually 
supposed  to  have  been  J. 

10.  Hebron.  The  most  important  city  of  southern  Judah,  about 
twenty  miles  south  of  Jerusalem ;  the  patriarchal  burial  place 
(Gen.  23  :  2,  19  ;  25:9;  35  :  27  f. ;  50  :  13)  ;  and  David's  residence 
as  king  (2  Sam.  2  :  11 ;  5  :  5  ;  i.  Kgs.  2  :  11).  Kiriath-arba.  "  City 
of  four,"  i.e.  of  four  quarters,  representing  probably  four  clans. 
Sheshai,  and  Ahiman,  and  Talmai.  In  Josh.  15 :  14  these  are 
called  "  sons  of  Anak,"  a  term  implying  that  they  were  giants. 
In  that  passage  the  conqueror  of  Hebron  is  Caleb.  This  is  implied 
here  in  v.  12, 

11.  Debir.  In  Josh.  11:  21  placed  in  the  hill  country,  here 
and  in  V.  15  in  the  Negeb.  Kiriath-sepher.  According  to  the 
ordinary  Hebrew  meaning  this  compound  means,  "  City  of  a 
book";  but  originally  sepher  may  have   meant  something  else. 

24 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  i :  15 


12.  Kiriath-sepher.)  And  Caleb  said,  He  that  smiteth 
Kiriath-sepher,    and    taketh  it,  to  him  will   I    give 

13.  Achsah  my  daughter  to  wife.  And  Othniel  the  son  of 
Kenaz,  Caleb's   younger   brother,  took   it:   and   he 

14.  gave  him  Achsah  his  daughter  to  wife.  And  it  came 
to  pass,  when  she  came  unto  him,  that  she  moved 
him  to  ask  of  her  father  a  field :  and  she  Hghted  down 
from  off  her  ass;  and  Caleb  said  unto  her.  What 

15.  wouldest  thou?  And  she  said  unto  him,  Give  me 
a  ^  blessing ;    for  that  thou  hast  ^  set  me  in  the  land 

1  Or,  present.  2  Or,  given  me  the  land  of  the  South. 

The  implication  also  of  "  Book-city  "  is  obscure,  and  the  con- 
jectures have  been  many :   "  Archive-city,"  "  Library-city,"  etc. 

12.  Caleb.  In  the  narratives  of  Numbers  and  Joshua,  one  of 
the  twelve  spies  to  whom  Moses  promised  the  region  of  Hebron 
(Num.  14 :  24 ;  Josh.  14 :  6-15).  In  i  Sam.  25:3;  30 :  14,  Caleb 
is  the  name  of  a  clan  or  tribe  living  in  southern  Judah  during 
the  time  of  David.  Because  Caleb  is  repeatedly  called  a  Keniz- 
zite  or  son  of  Kenaz  (Num.  32  :  12  ;  Josh.  14:  6,  14;  15  :  17)  this 
clan  seems  to  have  been  of  Edomitic  origin  (cf.  Gen.  36:  15). 
Through  the  influence  of  David  it  seems  to  have  been  incor- 
porated into  the  tribe  of  Judah  and  became  one  of  the  most 
important  families  of  Judah  (see  genealogies  of  i  Chron.  2). 
This  position  doubtless  gave  rise  to  the  stories  concerning  the 
hero  Caleb.  The  word  Caleb  means  "  dog."  Achsah.  Men- 
tioned also  in  i  Chron.  2  :  49. 

13.  Othniel.  Appears  in  3:9,  11  as  the  first  of  the  judges 
of  Israel.  Kenaz.  Appears  in  the  genealogy  of  the  descendants 
of  Esau  (Gen.  36:  15),  (see  also  v.  12).  In  regard  to  the  direct 
relationship  of  Othniel  to  Caleb,  the  text  is  ambiguous.  It  is 
uncertain  whether  Othniel  or  Kenaz  is  the  younger  brother  of  Caleb. 

14.  When  she  came.  Achsah  is  assumed  to  have  been  else- 
where, perhaps  at  Hebron  in  her  father's  home.  That  she 
moved  him.  Better  after  the  Greek  or  Latin  text  with  a  slight 
change  in  the  Hebrew  text :    that  he  moved  her. 

15.  For  that  thou  hast  set  me  in  the  land  of   the   South. 

25 


I ;  i6  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


of  the  South,  give  me  also  springs  of  water.  And 
Caleb  gave  her  the  upper  springs  and  the  nether 
springs. 
1 6.  And  the  children  of  the  Kenite,  Moses'  ^brother  in 
law,  went  up  out  of  the  city  of  palm  trees  with  the 
children  of  Judah  into  the  wilderness  of  Judah,  which 
is  in  the  south  of  Arad;    and  they  went  and  dwelt 


Or,  father  in  law. 


Through  the  decision  of  her  father  her  home  would  be  in  Debir, 
belonging  by  conquest  to  her  husband,  where  water  was  scarce. 
Springs  of  water.  In  Hebrew  Gullath-mayim,  a  proper  name. 
Likewise  also  the  upper  springs,  and  the  nether  springs,  i.e. 
Gullath-  illith  and  GiiUath-tithah,  are  proper  names.  Following  the 
identification  of  Debir  given  in  v.  ii,  the  springs  are  those  of 
Seil  ed-Dilbeh,  about  two- fifths  of  the  way  from  Hebron  to  Debir. 
These  springs  are  fourteen  in  number,  making  one  of  the  best 
watered  valleys  in  Southern  Palestine.  Hence  they  must  always 
have  been  highly  prized.  The  story  of  this  verse  was  told  to  ex- 
plain how  it  happened  that  these  springs  belonged  to  the  Othnielites 
of  Debir  and  not  to  the  nearer  Calebite  inhabitants  of  Hebron. 
1 6.  This  verse  is  introductory.  And  the  children  of  the 
Kenite.  An  impossible  rendering  of  the  Hebrew  text,  which 
is  defective.  The  name  Hobab  after  the  Greek  translation  is 
to  be  supplied.  And  the  children  of  Hobab,  the  Kenite,  the  father- 
in-law  of  Moses.  The  Hebrew  word  translated  brother-in-law 
or  father-in-law  denotes  a  kinsman  through  marriage.  Here 
it  should  be  rendered  father-in-law,  since  Hobab  stood  in  that 
relation  to  Moses.  In  Exod.  2  :  18  the  father-in-law  of  Moses 
is  Reuel,  and  in  Exod.  3:1;  4  :  18  ;  18  :  i,  5,  9,  12,  Jethro.  The 
traditions  clearly  varied  respecting  his  name.  The  city  of  pahn 
trees.  I.e.  Jericho  (Deut.  34 :  3  ;  2  Chron.  28:15).  The  wil- 
derness of  Judah,  which  is  in  the  south  of  Arad.  This  is  an  impos- 
sible designation,  since  the  wilderness  of  Judah  is  quite  distinct 
from  the  South,  the  Negeb.  The  text  has  in  some  way  been  con- 
fused. An  amended  reading  proposed  is,  In  the  wilderness  of  Arad. 
With  the  people  is  meaningless.     We  should  read  after  the  Greek 

26 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  i :  i8 


17.  with  the  people.  And  Judah  went  with  Simeon  his 
brother,  and  they  smote  the  Canaanites  that  inhabited 
Zephath,  and  ^utterly  destroyed  it.     And  the  name 

18.  of  the  city  was  called  Hormah.     Also  Judah  took  R^ 
Gaza  with  the  border  thereof,  and  Ashkelon  with  the 
border  thereof,  and  Ekron  with  the  border  thereof. 

^  Heb.  devoted. 

version,  with  the  Amalekites,  with  whom,  according  to  i  Sam. 
15  the  Kenites  were  dwelling  in  the  time  of  Saul.  The  Kenites, 
according  to  this  narrative,  clearly  joined  their  forces  with  Israel 
and  entered  with  them  into  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  from  the  ren- 
dezvous at  Jericho  allied  themselves  with  Judah  and  Simeon  and 
settled  in  the  wilderness  of  Judah,  where  they  became  associated 
with  the  Amalekites.  Their  union  with  Israel  is  implied  in  the 
story  of  Num.  10:  29-32.  During  the  reign  of  Saul  they  dwelt 
with  the  Amalekites,  and  in  the  reign  of  David  their  home  was 
in  the  south  of  Judah.  According  to  i  Chron.  2  :  55  the  Recha- 
bites  were  Kenites. 

17.  Zephath.  This  place  has  not  been  satisfactorily  identified, 
either  under  this  name  or  the  later  one  of  Hormah  mentioned 
in  Num.  14:  45  ;  21 :  3;  Deut.  i :  44.  And  utterly  destroyed  it. 
The  Heb.  words  imply  a  complete  extermination  to  the  glory  of 
Jehovah.  This  was  according  to  the  law  of  Deuteronomy 
(Deut.  7:1-3;  20  :  16  ff.),  and  the  repeated  habit  of  Israel  (Deut. 
2  :  34;  3:6;  Josh.  8:  24  ff. ;  10  :  28  ff. ;  11  :  11  ff. ;  i  Sam.  15  : 
3ff.).  On  the  Moabite  stone  Mesha,  King  of  Moab,  records  that 
at  the  command  of  Kemosh  he  took  Nebo  from  Israel  and  put  to 
death  the  whole  population,  "  men  and  boys,  wives  and  maidens  • 
and  slave  girls,  for  to  Ashtar-kemosh  I  devoted  it"  ;  and  again  of 
Ataroth  he  said,  "  I  killed  all  the  people  of  the  city,  a  fine  sight  (?) 
for  Kemosh  and  Moab."  Hormah.  I.e.  "  Devoted  to  destruc- 
tion." The  root  letters  HRM  are  those  of  the  verb  translated 
above,  "  utterly  destroyed." 

18.  This  verse  implies  the  conquest  of  the  Philistines  by 
Judah.  Gaza  was  their  principal  city  on  the  southern  border 
of  their  territory,  Ashkelon  in  the  middle,  and  Ekron  in  the  north. 

27 


1 :  19  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


J  19.  And  the  Lord  was  with  Judah ;  and  he  drave  out  the 
inhabitants  of  the  hill  country ;  for  he  could  not  drive 
out  the  inhabitants  of  the  valley,  because  they  had 

20.  chariots  of  iron.  And  they  gave  Hebron  unto  Caleb, 
as  Moses  had  spoken:   and  he  drave  out  thence  the 

21.  three  sons  of  Anak.  And  the  children  of  Benjamin 
did  not  drive  out  the  Jebusites  that  inhabited  Jeru- 
salem: but  the  Jebusites  dwelt  with  the  children  of 
Benjamin  in  Jerusalem,  unto  this  day. 

22.  And  the  house  of  Joseph,  they  also  went  up  against 

But  such  a  conquest  is  a  flat  contradiction  of  the  following  verse 
and  3:3;  Josh.  13  :  3,  and  of  all  that  is  stated  elsewhere  of  the 
relations  between  Israel  and  the  Philistines.  The  verse,  then, 
like  V.  8,  is  a  gloss. 

19  f.  These  verses  seem  out  of  place.  V.  19  may  have  origi- 
nally followed  V.  7;  and  v.  20  may  have  followed  v.  11.  The 
hill  country.  See  v.  9.  The  valley.  I.e.  the  plain  of  Philistia. 
Chariots  of  iron.  See  on  4 :  3.  As  Moses  had  spoken.  Cf. 
Num.  14:24;  Deut.  i :  36;  Josh.  14 :  9,  13  ;  15:13,14.  Sons 
of  Anak.    See  v.  10. 

21.  The  children  of  Benjamin.  In  the  parallel  passage,  Josh. 
15  :  63  (see  above)  the  reading  here  and  in  the  following  sentence 
is  The  children  of  Judah.  This  reading  probably  was  the  original. 
The  change  was  made  by  some  one  who  followed  Josh.  18:  28, 
where  Jerusalem  is  reckoned  among  the  towns  of  Benjamin. 
Jebusites.  The  people  who  held  Jerusalem  when  David  con- 
quered it.  Nothing  further  is  known  of  them.  They  are  fre- 
quently mentioned  among  the  lists  of  the  inhabitants  of  Canaan. 

22-26.  The  writer  now  turns  from  the  story  of  the  conquest  of 
Judah  to  that  of  Northern  Israel.  He  gives  the  single  episode 
of  the  capture  of  Beth-el.  Of  other  conquest  he  gives  no  details, 
but  simply  mentions  the  cities  which  the  Canaanites  held. 

22.  The  house  of  Joseph.  The  tribes  of  Ephraim,  Manasseh, 
and  Benjamin.  The  latter  is  included  since  he  is  represented  as 
born  in  Canaan,  Gen.  35  :  16-18,  i.e.  historically  the  tribe  was  not 
formed  until  after  the  settlement  in  Canaan.     The  Benjamites 

28 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


23.  Beth-el :  and  the  Lord  was  with  them.   And  the  house 

of  Joseph  sent  to  spy  out  Beth-el.     (Now  the  name  R^ 

24.  of  the  city  beforetime  was  Luz.)   And  the  watchers  saw  J 
a  man  come  forth  out  of  the  city,  and  they  said  unto 
him,  Shew  us,  we  pray  thee,  the  entrance  into  the  city, 

25.  and  we  will  deal  kindly  with  thee.  And  he  shewed 
them  the  entrance  into  the  city,  and  they  smote  the 
city  with  the  edge  of  the  sword ;  but  they  let  the  man 

26.  go  and  all  his  family.  And  the  man  went  into  the 
land  of  the  Hittites,  and  built  a  city,  and  called  the 
name  thereof  Luz:  which  is  the  name  thereof  unto 
this  day. 

II.  The  Failure  to  destroy  utterly  the  Native 
Inhabitants  of  the  Land,  i  :  27-2  :  5 

27.  And  Manasseh  did  not  drive  out  the  inhabitants  of  j 
Beth-shean  and  her  ^  towns,  nor  of  Taanach  and  her 

1  Heb.  daughters. 

at  times  called  themselves  members  of  the  house  of  Joseph, 
2  Sam.  19:  20.  Beth-el,  according  to  Josh.  18:  22,  belonged  to 
Benjamin.  Also  went  up.  Even  as  Judah  had  done  (cf.  v.  4). 
Beth-el.  Modern  Beitin,  twelve  miles  north  of  Jerusalem.  A  place 
celebrated  in  Israel's  history,  the  seat  of  the  worship  of  one  of 
the  golden  calves  (i  Kgs.  12:  28  ff.).  And  the  Lord  was  with 
them.     I.e.  they  were  successful. 

23.   Luz.     Cf.  Gen.  28:  19;    35:6;   Josh.  18:  13. 

26.  Land  of  the  Hittites .  This  was  directly  north  of  Palestine ; 
see  on  3  :  3,  5.     The  location  of  the  new  Luz  is  unknown. 

27.  Manasseh.  Settled  on  both  sides  of  the  Jordan  about 
midway  between  the  Dead  Sea  and  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  Here  the 
reference  is  only  to  western  Manasseh.  Beth-shean.  In  the  Greek 
period  known  as  Scythopolis,  modern  Beisan,  situated  three  miles 
from  the  Jordan,  commanding  the  entrance  into  the  valley  of 

29 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


towns,  nor  the  inhabitants  of  Dor  and  her  towns,  nor 
the  inhabitants  of  Ibleam  and  her  towns,  nor  the  in- 
habitants of  Megiddo  and  her  towns:  but  the  Canaan- 

28.  ites  would  dwell  in  that  land.  And  it  came  to  pass, 
when  Israel  was  waxen  strong,  that  they  put  the  Ca- 
naanites  to  taskwork,  and  did  not  utterly  drive  them 
out. 

29.  And  Ephraim  drave  not  out  the  Canaanites  that 
dwelt  in  Gezer;  but  the  Canaanites  dwelt  in  Gezer 
among  them. 

30.  Zebulun  drave  not  out  the  inhabitants  of  Kitron, 

Jezreel  and  thus  into  the  plain  of  Esdraelon.  Ibleam,  modern 
Berameh,  Taanach,  modern  Ta'annuk,  and  Megiddo,  modern 
El-leggun,  are  towns  on  the  southern  side  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon, 
in  this  order  from  east  to  west.  Meggiddo,  commanding  the  main 
road  southward,  was  a  place  of  strategic  importance,  mentioned 
in  both  Assyrian  and  Egyptian  inscriptions.  Dor,  modern 
Tantura,  is  farther  west  on  the  coast  about  halfway  between 
Caesarea  and  the  promontory  of  Carmel.  The  Canaanites 
thus  held  a  district  embracing  the  fertile  plain  of  Esdraelon, 
extending  from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Jordan,  separating  the 
tribes  of  Joseph  in  Central  Palestine  from  their  brethren  in  Galilee, 

28.  When  Israel  was  waxen  strong.  The  reference  is  to  the 
reigns  of  David  and  Solomon.  The  subjugation  was  by  the 
former,  while  the  latter  put  the  Canaanites  to  taskwork  in  com- 
pelling them  to  labor  in  the  erection  or  the  Temple  and  other 
buildings  (i   Kgs.  9:  15,  20). 

29.  Ephraim.  Settled  in  the  hill  country  south  of  the  plain  of 
Esdraelon  and  the  territory  of  Manasseh.  Gezer.  On  the  south- 
western border  of  Ephraim.  Its  ancient  site  is  marked  by  a 
mound  of  the  same  name  which  has  been  recently  excavated. 
The  city  retained  its  independence  until,  in  Solomon's  reign,  it 
was  conquered  by  the  Pharaoh  of  Egypt  and  given  to  his  daughter 
the  wife  of  Solomon  (i  Kgs.  9:  16). 

30.  Zebulun.  Settled  directly  west  of  the  sea  of  Galilee. 
Kitron  and  Nahalol  have  not  been  identified;  and  beyond  the 

30 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


nor  the  inhabitants  of  Nahalol ;  but  the  Canaanites 
dwelt  among  them,  and  became  ^  tributary. 

31.  Asher  drave  not  out  the  inhabitants  of  Acco,  nor 
the  inhabitants  of  Zidon,  nor  of  Ahlab,  nor  of  Achzib, 

32.  nor  of  Helbah,  nor  of  Aphik,  nor  of  Rehob:  but  the 
Asherites  dwelt  among  the  Canaanites,  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  land :  for  they  did  not  drive  them  out. 

33.  NaphtaU  drave  not  out  the  inhabitants  of  Beth-she- 
mesh,  nor  the  inhabitants  of  Beth-anath ;  but  he  dwelt 
among  the  Canaanites,  the  inhabitants  of  the  land: 
nevertheless  the  inhabitants  of  Beth-shemesh  and  of 
Beth-anath  became  tributary  unto  them. 

34.  And  the  Amorites  forced  the  children  of  Dan  into  the 
hill  country :  for  they  would  not  suffer  them  to  come 

1  Or,  subject  to  taskwork,  and  so  vv.  33,  35. 

latter's  appearing  in  the  list  of  Zebulun's  cities  in  Josh.  19:  15; 
21 :  35  they  are  not  mentioned  elsewhere  in  the  Old  Testament. 
31.  Asher.  Directly  north  of  Zebulun,  bounded  on  the  west  by 
the  coast  land  of  Phoenicia  and  on  the  east  by  Naphtali.  Acco, 
modern  *Akka,  on  the  coast  north  of  Carmel.  Zidon,  the  well- 
known  Phoenician  city.  Achzib,  modern  es-Zib  on  the  coast  south 
of  Tyre.  The  other  cities  of  this  verse  have  not  been  surely  iden- 
tified. Except  Ahlab  they  were  probably  inland  towns.  These 
cities  seem  never  to  have  been  subject  to  Israel. 

33.  Naphtali.  Settled  in  the  eastern  half  of  upper  Galilee. 
Beth-shemesh,  meaning  "  house  of  the  sun,"  hence  seat  of  sun 
worship,  not  identified.  Beth-anath,  meaning  "  house  of  Anath," 
a  goddess  (see  3:31),  hence  a  seat  of  her  worship,  probably  the 
modern  'Ainitha  northwest  of  the  Waters  of  Merom. 

34.  Amorites.  Equivalent  here  to  the  Canaanites  (so  generally 
in  the  document  E).  Amorites  are  sometimes  distinguished  from 
the  Canaanites  as  referring  more  exclusively  to  the  earlier  in- 
habitants of  the  land,  and  then  again  those  inhabiting  the  high- 
lands.    The  name  is  common  in  the  inscriptions  of  the  Assyr- 

31 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


35.  down  to  the  valley:  but  the  Amorites  would  dwell 
in  mount  Heres,  in  Aijalon,  and  in  Shaalbim :  yet  the 
hand  of  the  house  of  Joseph  prevailed,  so  that  they 

36.  became  tributary.  And  the  border  of  the  Amorites 
was  from  the  ascent  of  Akrabbim,  from  ^  the  rock,  and 
upward. 

2.         And  2  the  angel  of  the  Lord  came  up  from  Gilgal 

1  Or,  Sela.  *  Or,  a  messenger. 

ians  who  entered  the  country  on  the  east.  The  territory  of 
Dan  was  southwest  of  that  of  Ephraim.  The  Danites  failed  to 
make  themselves  masters  of  the  plain  stretching  seaward  and 
later  migrated  to  the  north  (cf.  chapters  17  f.). 

35.  Heres  is  mentioned  only  here.  Perhaps  the  same  as 
Beth-shemesh  in  the  valley  of  Sorek,  modern  'Ain  Shems,  about 
halfway  between  Jerusalem  and  the  Mediterranean.  Aijalon. 
Modern  Yalo,  some  five  miles  north  of  Beth-shemesh.  Shaal- 
bim. Identified  by  some  with  modern  Selbit  about  three  miles 
northwest  of  Yalo. 

36.  Amorites.  A  textual  corruption  for  Edomites,  since  the 
boundaries  of  the  verse  are  those  of  Edom.  The  ascent  of  Akrab- 
bim. I.e.  "  Scorpions,"  a  pass  leading  from  the  Arabah  (the 
valley  extending  southward  from  the  Dead  Sea,  the  home  of 
the  Edomites)  into  the  table  land  of  southern  Judah,  probably  the 
Nagb  es-Safa,  by  which  the  main  road  ascends  from  Petra  to 
Hebron.  This  pass  marks,  then,  the  beginning  of  the  territory 
of  the  Edomites,  who  were  the  reputed  descendants  of  Esau  and 
thus  kinsfolk  of  Israel.  They  were  subdued  by  David,  but  about 
850  B.C.  regained  their  independence,  and  at  the  time  of  the  fall 
of  Jerusalem  (586  B.C.)  and  later  were  bitterly  hostile  to  Israel. 
From  the  rock.  (Hebrew  Sela.)  Some  specific  locality,  either 
a  great  cliff  near  the  southern  end  of  the  Dead  Sea  or  the  Edomite 
capital  known  as  Petra,  rock.  And  upward.  As  though  the  boun- 
dary or  territory  extended  beyond  the  point  mentioned.  But 
all  is  obscure  since  the  text  is  either  corrupt  or  incomplete. 

2  :  1-5.  This  paragraph  seems  like  an  expansion  of  vv.  la  and 
5b,  which  probably  originally  read  "  And  the  angel  of  Jehovah 

32 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


to  Bochim.    And  he  said,  I  made  you  to  go  up  out  of  R^ 
Egypt,  and  have  brought  you  unto  the  land  which  I 
sware  unto  your  fathers ;  and  I  said,  I  will  never  break 
2.     my  covenant  with  you :  and  ye  shall  make  no  covenant 

came  up  from  Gilgal  to  Bethel  and  they  sacrificed  there  unto 
Jehovah."  Such  words  would  form  a  fitting  conclusion  to  the 
story  of  the  conquest  outward  from  Gilgal  (i :  i),  concluding  with 
the  capture  of  Bethel  (1:22-26).  Bethel  is  preserved  along 
with  Bochim  in  the  Greek  translation.  The  name  Bochim  is  a 
likely  substitute  ior  "bethel,  because  the  latter  stood  in  v.  5,  and 
perhaps  also  because  Bethel  was  later  the  seat  of  the  abhorred 
calf  worship.  The  reproof  of  the  angel  and  the  account  of  its 
effect  upon  the  people  (vv.  ib-5a)  were  written  probably  by  the 
Priestly  editor  (RP)  who  prefixed  this  first  section  of  the  Book  of 
Judges,  and  to  whom  the  Canaanites  left  in  the  land  were  not  a 
mark  of  Israel's  weakness,  the  view  of  the  original  writer  of  chap- 
ter I,  but  a  mark  of  Israel's  failure  to  keep  the  Deuteronomic 
law  of  extermination  (see  i  :  17). 

1.  The  angel  of  the  Lord  (Jehovah).  The  divine  presence 
which  according  to  tradition  conducted  the  people  on  their  march 
through  the  wilderness  (Exod.  14:19;  23:20  ff. ;  32:34;  33: 
2;  Num.  20:  16)  and  appeared  in  a  human  form  to  Gideon  and 
the  mother  of  Samson  (6:  11  ff. ;  13:3  ff.).  Gilgal.  The  first 
camping  place  of  the  children  of  Israel  after  crossing  the  Jordan, 
Josh.  5  :  9,  and  according  to  Josh.  9:6;  10 :  6  ff.,  15,  43 ;  14 :  6, 
their  headquarters  during  the  conquest  of  the  land.  The  moving 
of  the  angel  implied  the  removal  of  the  Ark  to  Bochim  (see  v.  5), 
i.e.  Bethel  (see  above).  Although  according  to  Josh.  18:1; 
19:51,  the  tabernacle,  and  therefore  the  ark,  was  placed,  at 
Shiloh  at  the  close  of  the  conquest,  another  tradition  clearly  placed 
it  at  Bethel  (cf.  20  :  26  f.).  Gilgal  as  well  as  Bethel  was  a  later 
sanctuary  (Hos.  4:15;  9:  15;  12:11;  Amos  4:4;  5:5).  Which 
I  sware,  etc.  For  the  promises  cf.  Gen.  12  :  7  ;  I3:i4f. ;  15:18; 
i7:7f. ;  22:i6f. ;  26:3f. ;  28:i3f. ;  50:24.  The  references 
to  the  oath  are  very  frequent  in  Deuteronomy  (1:8;  6 :  10,  18, 
23  ;  7  :  13  ;  8  :  i ;  11  :  9,  21  ;  19  :  8  ;  26  :  3,  15,  etc.).  My  cove- 
nant with  you.     The  reference  is  to  Exod.   34 :  10  ff. 

2.  Cf.  Exod.  34: 12  f.;  Deut.  7:  s;    12:3. 

D  33 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


with  the  inhabitants  of  this  land ;  ye  shall  break  down 
their  altars :  but  ye  have  not  hearkened  unto  my  voice : 

3.  why  have  ye  done  this?  Wherefore  I  also  said,  I 
will  not  drive  them  out  from  before  you ;  but  they 
^  shall  be  as  thorns  in  your  sides,  and  their  gods  shall 

4.  be  a  snare  unto  you.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the 
angel  of  the  Lord  spake  these  words  unto  all  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  that  the  people  Hfted  up  their  voice, 

5.  and  wept.  And  they  called  the  name  of  that  place 
2  Bochim :  and  they  sacrificed  there  unto  the  Lord. 

*  Some  ancient  versions  have,  shall  be  adversaries  unto  you.        ^  That  is,  Weepers. 

3.  This  previous  warning  may  be  found  in  Num.  33 :  55 ; 
Josh.  23  :  13,  from  the  former  of  which  the  word  thorns  is  to  be 
supplied.  Snare.  A  sudden  means  of  destruction.  Jehovah  is 
thus  described  in  Isa.  8 :  14  f . 

5.  Bochim.  Means  "  weepers."  Nowhere  else  mentioned. 
According  to  our  explanation  it  must  be  sought  in  the  vicinity 
of  Bethel.  Near  Bethel  was  a  sacred  tree,  Allon-bacuth,  "  The 
oak  of  weeping,"  connected  with  the  burial  of  Rebekah's  nurse, 
Gen.  35 : 8.  The  valley  of  Baca,  "  Weeping,"  is  mentioned  in 
Ps.  84:6. 


34 


B.     THE   HISTORY  OF  ISRAEL   IN    THE    DAYS 
OF   THE  JUDGES,   2:6-16:31 

I.  Introduction,  2 :  6-3 : 6 

6.  Now  when  Joshua  had  sent  the  people  away,  the  E*     2:9 
children  of  Israel  went  every  man  unto  his  inheritance 

7.  to  possess  the  land.    And  the  people  served  the  Lord  R^ 
all  the  days  of  Joshua,  and  all  the  days  of  the  elders 
that  outlived  Joshua,  who  had  seen  all  the  great  work  of 

8.  the  Lord,  that  he  had  wrought  for  Israel.    And  Joshua  E^ 
the  son  of  Nun,  the  servant  of  the  Lord,  died,  being  an 

9.  hundred  and  ten  years  old.     And  they  buried  him  in 
the  border  of  his  inheritance  in  Timnath-heres,  in  the 

2  :6-3  :6.  This  section  opens  with  an  account  of  the  death  of 
Joshua,  and  the  conditions  immediately  following  (vv.  6-10), 
parallel  largely  with  Josh.  24:28-31.  These  verses  serve  to 
connect  the  history  of  the  Judges  closely  with  that  of  the 
Book  of  Joshua.  Then  follows  a  general  statement  of  the  course 
of  Israel's  history,  which  consisted  in  periods  of  apostasy,  op- 
pression, deliverance  through  a  judge,  and  the  service  of  Jehovah 
during  the  judge's  lifetime,  repeated  one  after  another  (vv.  11-19). 
This  all  served  to  explain  why  Jehovah  had  left  nations  in  the 
land  (vv.  20-23).     A  list  of  these  nations  also  is  given  (3  :  1-6). 

6.  Had  sent  the  people  away,  etc.  The  conclusion  of  the  great 
assembly  at  Shechem,  where  Joshua  made  his  farewell  address 
and  the  people  promised  to  serve  Jehovah,  Josh.  24 :  1-28. 

7.  The  elders.  The  head  men  of  clans  and  families.  The 
term  elder  or  old  man  is  used  because  these  were  usually  well 
advanced  in  years.  The  great  work,  etc.  The  wonders  of  the 
Exodus  and  the  conquest  of  Canaan  (cf.  Deut.  11:2-5). 

9.   Timnath-heres.     The   same   as  Timnath-serah,   Josh.    24: 
35 


2 :  10  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


hill  country  of  Ephraim,  on  the  north  of  the  mountain 
10.   of  Gaash.    And  also  all  that  generation  were  gathered 

unto  their  fathers :  and  there  arose  another  generation 

after  them,  which  knew  not  the  Lord,  nor  yet  the  work 

which  he  had  wrought  for  Israel. 
R^   II.   And  the  children  of  Israel  did  that  which  was  evil  in 
12.   the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  served  the  Baalim:   and 

30;  19  :  50,  the  modern  Tibneh,  about  twelve  and  one-half 
miles  east-northeast  of  Lydda.  The  mountain  of  Gaash  is 
otherwise  unknown.  Cf.  "  the  brooks  of  Gaash,"  2  Sam.  23 : 
30;  I  Chron.  11 :  32. 

10.  That  generation.  The  contemporaries  of  Joshua  and  the 
elders  (v.  7).  Knew  not  the  Lord  (Jehovah).  I.e.  by  personal 
experience  as  Redeemer  and  Provider  and  Conqueror  during 
the  Exodus  and  Conquest.  The  work  which  he  had  wrought. 
Seev.  7. 

11-13.  These  verses  are  repetitious;  so  much  so  that  they 
may  represent  the  work  of  more  than  one  writer.  V.  13  is 
an  appropriate  continuation  of  v.  10. 

11.  The  children  of  Israel  did  that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight 
of  the  Lord.  The  recurring  formula  with  which  the  history  of 
each  of  the  six  great  judges  is  introduced  3:7;  3:12;  4:1; 
6:1;  10:6;  13:1.  Baalim.  Baal  (of  which  Baalim  is  the 
plural)  was  a  general  divine  title,  meaning  primarily  a  possessor ; 
a  husband  was  a  Baal  of  a  wife ;  an  eloquent  man  was  a  Baal  of 
words.  Any  god  might  be  called  Baal.  The  term,  judging  from 
the  proper  names  Ishbaal,  Meribaal,  Beeliada,  Bealiah,  and  espe- 
cially the  statement  in  Hos.  2,  in  early  times  in  Israel  was  applied 
to  Jehovah.  Later  its  use  was  restricted  to  other  deities,  especially 
the  local  gods  of  the  Canaanites,  and  thus  it  became  par  ex- 
cellence the  title  of  a  god  worshipped  in  opposition  to  Jehovah ; 
and  for  an  Israelite  to  worship  Baal  or  Baalim  (the  plural  may 
be  numerical  or  intensive)  was  an  abhorrent  apostasy.  The 
temptation  to  this  worship  arose  from  the  fact  that  baals 
were  generally  nature  gods  through  whom  abundant  harvests 
or  other  good  fortunes  were  supposed  to  come.  Their  worship 
also  seems  to  have  made  few  if  any  moral  demands  and  furnished 

36 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  2 :  14 


they  forsook  the  Lord,  the  God  of  their  fathers,  which 
brought  them  out  of  the  land  of  Eg\'pt,  and  followed 
other  gods,  of  the  gods  of  the  peoples  that  were  round 
about  them,  and  bowed  themselves  down  unto  them: 

13.  and  they  provoked  the  Lord  to  anger.    And  they  E' 
forsook  the  Lord,  and  served  Baal  and  the  Ashtaroth. 

14.  And  the  anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against  Israel,  R^ 
and  he  dehvered  them  into  the  hands  of  spoilers  that 
spoiled  them  and  he  sold  them  into  the  hands  of  their 
enemies  round  about,  so  that  they  could  not  any  longer 

sensual  pleasures.  A  baal  might  have  a  distinct  proper  name 
or  be  known  through  a  complement,  usually  that  of  a  place,  for 
example,  Baal-hermon,  i.e.  Baal  of  Hermon.  These  latter  names 
often  became  place  names. 

12.  The  Lord,  the  God  of  their  fathers.  Cf.  Exod.  3  :  15  f . ; 
4:5;  Deut.  I  :ii,2i  ;  4:1 ;  6:3;  12:1;  26:7;  27:3;  29  :  25  ;  Josh. 
18  : 3.  Which  brought  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  The  basis 
of  Jehovah's  claim  for  Israel's  obedience  ;  thus  the  preface  of 
the  ten  commandments  (Exod.  20 :  2 ;  Deut.  5  :  6)  and  of  pro- 
phetic reproofs  (Amos  3:1  f.).  Ingratitude  appears  in  Israel's 
sin  (cf.  Isa.  1:2;   5:4). 

13.  Baal.  See  on  v.  11.  Ashtaroth,  a  plural,  perhaps  orig- 
inally singular,  since  in  Heb.  the  consonants  might  be  the  same. 
Astarte  was  a  widely  worshipped  Semitic  goddess  (in  Babylonia 
and  Assyria  Ishtar).  In  the  Old  Testament  the  name  came  to 
denote  the  female  deity,  since  the  Hebrew  language  has  no  proper 
word  for  goddess. 

14-15.  The  punishment  which  always  followed  apostasy  is 
here  expressed  in  general  terms.  The  specific  ones  are  found 
in  3:  8;  3: I2b-i4;  4: 2-3;    6 : ib-6 ;    10  : 7-9 ;  13 : ib. 

14.  Anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled.  A  very-  common  Old 
Testament  expression.  Spoilers  that  spoiled  them.  The  Hebrew 
root,  to  spoil,  here  used  is  somewhat  unusual.  It  is  borrowed  in 
the  Egyptian  language  to  denote  the  nomadic  and  robber  tribes 
of  the  desert  of  South  Palestine.  He  sold.  Cf .  3  :  8 ;  4:2; 
10:7;  also  I  Sam.  12:9. 

37 


2 :  15  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


15.   stand  before  their  enemies.     Whithersoever  they  went 

out,  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  against  them  for  evil, 

as   the   Lord  had   spoken,   and   as   the  Lord  had 

sworn   unto   them:    and  they  were  sore  distressed. 

RP  16.  And  the  Lord  raised  up  judges,  which  saved  them 

17.  out  of  the  hand  of  those  that  spoiled  them.  And 
yet  they  hearkened  not  unto  their  judges,  for  they 
went  a  whoring  after  other  gods,  and  bowed  them- 
selves down  unto  them:  they  turned  aside  quickly 
out  of  the  way  wherein  their  fathers  walked,  obeying 
the  commandments  of  the  Lord;  but  they  did  not 


15.  As  the  Lord  had  sworn.  Two  terrible  lists  of  curses  for 
disobedience  are  given  in  Deut.  28  :  15-68 ;  Lev.  26  :  14-46. 

16-19.  Again  we  have  repetitions.  Vv.  18  f.  are  either  a  dupli- 
cate of  w.  16  f.,  or  V.  17,  which  varies  from  v.  19  in  introducing 
disobedience  of  the  judges,  is  an  insertion.  The  representation  in 
v.  19  that  the  disobedience  followed  the  death  of  the  judges 
agrees  with  the  subsequent  narratives.  A  possible  exception, 
the  worship  of  the  image  erected  by  Gideon  (8:  27),  has  been 
thought  to  have  given  rise  to  v.  17. 

16.  Judges.  Deliverers,  defenders.  The  writer  is  thinking 
of  Othniel  (?),  Ehud,  Deborah  and  Barak,  Gideon,  Jephthah,  and 
Samson.  The  root  meaning  is  to  secure  one  his  right,  hence 
generally  to  judge.  Through  judges  Jehovah  secured  to  the 
people  of  Israel  their  rights  over  against  their  enemies,  and  as 
rulers  the  judges  secured  to  individuals  their  rights. 

17.  Hearkened  not  unto  their  judges.  No  case  of  direct 
disobedience  to  a  judge  is  recorded  in  the  Book  of  Judges.  The 
disobedience  to  Samuel,  in  the  people  asking  for  a  king,  would 
be  a  case  in  point  (i  Sam.  7:  15;  8:6).  But  the  writer  prob- 
ably had  not  that  case  or  any  similar  one  in  mind,  but  meant 
that  the  rule  of  no  judge  effected  a  permanent  reform.  Went 
a  whoring  after  other  gods.  Prostitution  or  adultery  to  describe 
the  worship  of  foreign  deities  is  very  common  in  the  prophets,  and 
is  derived  from  the   thought  of  Jehovah   being   married  to  the 

38 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  2  :  21 


18.  so.     And  when  the  Lord  raised   them   up   judges,   R° 
then  the  Lord  was  with  the  judge,  and  saved  them 
out  of  the  hand  of  their  enemies  all  the  days  of  the 
judge:   for  it  repented  the  Lord   because   of   their 
groaning  by  reason  of  them  that  oppressed  them  and 

19.  vexed  them.  But  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  judge  was 
dead,  that  they  turned  back,  and  dealt  more  corruptly 
than  their  fathers,  in  following  other  gods  to  serve 
them,  and  to  bow  down  unto  them ;  ^  they  ceased  not 
from   their   doings,   nor   from   their   stubborn   way. 

20.  And  the  anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against  Israel ;  E' 
and  he  said,  Because  this  nation  have  transgressed 
my  covenant  which  I  commanded  their  fathers,  and 

21.  have  not  hearkened  unto  my  voice;  I  also  will  not 
henceforth  drive  out  any  from  before  them  of  the  na- 


Heb.  they  let  nothing  fall  of  their  doings. 


people.     This  relationship  is  especially  set  forth  in  the  prophecy 
of  Hosea. 

18.  It  repented  the  Lord.  Jehovah,  moved  by  their  groaning, 
changed  from  his  purpose  of  punishment  to  one  of  deliverance. 

19.  When  the  judge  was  dead,  that  they  turned  back.  Such 
backsliding  is  recorded  after  the  judgeship  and  implied  death  of 
Othniel  (3  :  11  f.),  Ehud  (4:  i),  Barak  and  Deborah  (5  :  31b;  6:  i), 
and  Gideon  (8  :  2,2))' 

2:20-3:6.  These  verses  are  clearly  composite.  In  2:20-22 
Jehovah  is  angry  with  Israel  because  they  have  transgressed  his 
covenant,  therefore  he  will  not  drive  out  the  nations  left  by  Joshua. 
They  are  to  prove  whether  Israel  will  keep  the  way  of  Jehovah, 
In  2  :  23-3  :  2  Jehovah  does  not  drive  out  the  nations  that  Israel 
might  be  disciplined  in  war.  These  verses  appear  originally 
to  have  been  the  conclusion  of  chapter  i,  since  that  chapter 
knows  nothing  of  any  sin  of  Israel  as  a  cause  of  the  retention  of 
the  nations.     V.  3  is  an  appended  list  of  nations. 

21.   I  also  will  not  henceforth  drive  out.     The  fulfilment  of  the 

39 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


R°  22.  tions  which  Joshua  left  when  he  died:  that  by  them 
I  may  prove  Israel,  whether  they  will  keep  the  way  of 
the  Lord  to  walk  therein,  as  their  fathers  did  keep  it, 
J  23.  or  not.  So  the  Lord  left  those  nations,  without  driv- 
ing them  out  hastily ;  neither  dehvered  he  them  into 
the  hand  of  Joshua. 

E2     3.       Now  these  are  the  nations  which  the  Lord  left,  to 

R  prove  Israel  by  them,  even  as  many  as  had  not  known 

J     2.   all  the  wars  of  Canaan ;  only  that  the  generations  of 

the  children  of  Israel  might  know,  to  teach  them  war, 

at  the  least  such  as  bef oretime  knew  nothing  thereof ; 

£2     3.   namely,  the  five  lords  of  the  PhiUstines,  and  all  the 


divine  promises  was  dependent  upon  obedience   to  the  divine 
commands. 

22.  The  Deuteronomic  editor  here  accounts  for  Jehovah's 
action  on  the  ground  that  he  desired  to  test  the  faithfulness  of 
his  people  in  the  presence  of  the  idolatrous  practices  of  their 
heathen  neighbors.  Keep  the  way  of  the  Lord.  I.e.  be  faithful 
to  both  the  moral  and  ceremonial  laws  of  his  religion. 

23.  This  verse  presents  an  earlier  point  of  view  (J).  The 
passage  is  continued  in  3  :  2,  which  is  from  the  same  source. 

3:1.  The  first  half  of  v.  i  is  introductory  to  the  list  of  nations 
which  appears  in  v.  3,  and  is  doubtless  from  the  same  source. 

2.  The  Hebrew  text  of  this  verse  is  corrupt.  Taken  with 
2:  23,  the  sense  certainly  is  that  Jehovah  left  those  nations  in 
order  that  the  later  generations  of  Israel  might  learn  war. 

3.  An  enumeration  of  the  peoples  within  whose  boundaries 
Israel  lived.  The  five  lords  of  the  Philistines.  The  Philistines 
dwelt  in  five  cities,  from  the  north  southward,  Ekron,  Ashdod, 
Gath,  Ashkelon,  and  Gaza,  in  the  maritime  plain  east  of  Judah. 
They  were  a  warlike,  non-Semitic  people  of  uncertain  origin, 
either  immigrants  from  Crete  or  the  southern  coast  of  Asia  Minor,  or 
descendants  of  Egyptian  mercenaries  who  had  seized  those  cities. 
They  appeared  in  Palestine  about  the  time  of  the  Exodus.  Until 
the  reign  of  David  they  were  generally  actively  hostile  toward 

40 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  3 :  6 


Canaanites,  and  the  Zidonians,  and  the  Hivites  that 
dwelt  in  mount  Lebanon,  from  mount  Baal-hermon 

4.  unto  the  entering  in  of  Hamath.    And  they  were  for  to  R^ 
prove  Israel  by  them,  to  know  whether  they  would 
hearken  unto  the  commandments  of  the  Lord,  which 

he  commanded  their  fathers  by  the  hand  of  Moses. 

5.  And  the  children  of  Israel  dwelt  among  ^  the  Canaan-  J 
ites ;  the  Hittite,  and  the  Amorite,  and  the  Perizzite, 

6.  and  the  Hivite,  and  the  Jebusite :  and  they  took  their 
daughters  to  be  their  wives,  and  gave  their  own  daugh- 
ters to  their  sons,  and  served  their  gods. 

1  Or,  the  Canaanites,  the  Eittites  6*c. 

Israel.  For  some  years  before  the  reign  of  Saul  and  immediately 
after  his  death  they  dominated  Western  Palestine.  All  the  Ca- 
naanites. The  unsubdued  inhabitants  of  the  lowlands  from 
Philistia  to  Phoenicia.  The  Zidonians.  The  Phoenicians, 
named  from  their  oldest  city,  Zidon.  The  Hivites.  An  error 
of  transcription  for  Hittites,  since  these  people  and  not  the  Hivites 
(see  V.  s)  dwelt  in  mount  Lebanon,  from  Baal-hermon  unto  the 
entering  in  of  Hamath,  i.e.  their  southern  boundary  was  from  Baal- 
hermon,  same  as  Baal-gad,  a  town  on  the  western  slope  of  Mt. 
Hermon,  to  the  approach  of  Hamath  from  the  south.  The  entering 
in  of  Hamath  is  a  frequent  designation  of  the  northern  boundary 
of  Israel.  The  modern  plain  of  Horns  is  meant.  Hamath  is  the 
modem  Hama  on  the  Orontes. 

4.  The  proving  of  this  verse  differs  from  that  of  v.  3.  It  is  of 
the  spirit  of  Deuteronomy. 

5.  Dwelt  among  the  Canaanites.  Cf.  the  description  of  i : 
27-36.  These  Canaanites  are  now  enumerated.  Hittite.  A 
powerful  people  who  dwelt  north  of  Israel.  Their  southern  boun- 
dary has  been  given  in  v.  3.  Their  mention  among  the 
inhabitants  of  Canaan  in  this  and  similar  lists  implies  that 
some  of  them  lived  in  Palestine.  Tradition  placed  them  among 
the  inhabitants  of  Hebron.  Amorite.  See  i :  34.  Perizzite. 
See  1:5.     Hivite.     A  petty  people  of  Central  Palestine.     The 

41 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


II.  The  Judges,  3  :  7-16 :  31 

I.  Othniel,  3  :  7-1 1 

RD     7.     And  the  children  of  Israel  did  that  which  was  evil  in 

the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  f  orgat  the  Lord  their  God, 

8.   and  served  the  Baalim  and  the  Asheroth.     Therefore 

the  anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against  Israel,  and 

he  sold  them  into  the  hand  of  Cushan-rishathaim  king 


name  is  of  uncertain  derivation.  Some  give  it  the  meaning  of 
villagers,  others  connect  it  with  a  root  meaning  "  serpent," 
hence   "  Snake   tribe."     Jebusite.      See  1:21. 

7-1 1.  The  children  of  Israel  do  evil  in  serving  foreign  gods 
(v.  7),  and  are  delivered  for  eight  years  into  the  power  of  the 
Cushan,  King  of  Mesopotamia  (v.  8) ;  then  on  their  cry  Jehovah 
raises  up  a  deliverer,  Othniel,  the  son  of  Kenaz,  who  successfully 
wages  war  against  Cushan,  and  the  land  enjoys  security  forty  years 
until  Othniel  dies.  The  narrative  has  no  element  beyond  the 
Deuteronomic  framework,  a  story  of  any  exploit  by  Othniel 
being  entirely  lacking;  hence  this  judge  did  not  appear  in  the 
original  Book  of  Judges,  but  only  in  the  Deuteronomic  edition. 
Othniel  as  a  judge  was  apparently  created  out  of  Othniel  the 
conqueror  of  Debir  (i  :  13)  from  the  desire  to  furnish  the  tribe 
of  Judah  with  a  great  judge  and  to  make  the  number  equal  to 
six.  Whether  Israel  was  dominated  at  this  early  period  by  a 
force  from  Mesopotamia  is  entirely  unknown.  The  name  Cushan- 
rishathaim,  meaning  "  Cushite  of  double  wickedness,"  looks  like 
an  appellative  of  folk-lore. 

7.  The  usual  formula  for  introducing  a  judgeship  (see  2  :  11,  13). 
Baalim.  See  2: 11.  Asheroth.  Probably  originally  Ashteroth  (see 
v.  13).  Asheroth  (the  plural  of  Asherah)  were  wooden  pillars 
erected  near  altars  in  the  Canaanite  places  of  worship.  Their 
exact  significance  is  unknown.  The  word  (singular  or  plural) 
was  used  sometimes  for  a  goddess  or  her  image. 

8.  Cushan-rishathaim.  See  above.  Mesopotamia.  Heb. 
Aram-naharaim,  "  Aram  of  two  rivers." 

42 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  3  :  ii 


of  ^  Mesopotamia :  and  the  children  of  Israel  served 
9.  Cushan-rishathaim  eight  years.  And  when  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  cried  unto  the  Lord,  the  Lord  raised  up 
a  saviour  to  the  children  of  Israel,  who  saved  them, 
even  Othniel   the   son   of   Kenaz,   Caleb's  younger 

10.  brother.  And  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  him, 
and  he  judged  Israel ;  and  he  went  out  to  war,  and 
the  Lord  delivered  Cushan-rishathaim  king  of  ^  Meso- 
potamia into  his  hand :  and  his  hand  prevailed  against 

11.  Cushan-rishathaim.  And  the  land  had  rest  forty 
years.     And  Othniel  the  son  of  Kenaz  died. 

1  Heb.  Aram-naharaim.  *  Heb.  Aram. 

9.  Cried  unto  the  Lord.  The  usual  formula  (v.  15  ;  4  :  3  ;  6  :  7 ; 
10  :  10).  Saviour  (v.  15  ;  the  verb  2  :  16).  Synonymous  with  judge 
(2  :  16,  18).      Othniel.     See  i :  13. 

10.  The  spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  him.  All  extraordinary 
endowments  were  in  general  assigned  to  the  spirit  of  God  or 
Jehovah ;  the  valor  of  the  judges  (6:34;  11:  29 ;  13  :  25  ;  14:6,19; 
15:14),  the  wisdom  of  rulers  (Gen.  41:38;  Num.  11:16  ff.; 
27:18),  the  skill  of  an  artisan  (Exod.  31:3;  36:1),  etc.  He 
judged  in  going  to  war  (see  2  :  16). 

12-30.  After  the  death  of  Othniel  the  people  backslid  and  for 
eighteen  years  suffered  under  the  lordship  of  Eglon,  King  of  Moab  ; 
but  on  their  cry  to  Jehovah  he  raised  up  Ehud  the  Benjamite 
as  their  deliverer,  vv.  12-15.  These  verses  are  the  Deuteronomic 
introduction  to  the  story  of  Ehud,  which  now  follows.  Ehud, 
sent  with  a  present  to  the  king  of  Moab,  contrives  to  obtain  a 
private  audience  with  him  on  the  pretence  of  communicating 
a  divine  revelation  and  assassinates  the  monarch,  vv.  16-26.  He 
then  rouses  the  people  and  the  Moabites  in  Israel  are  slain  and 
the  land  has  peace  eighty  years,  vv.  27-30.  There  is  no 
reason  to  doubt  the  historicity  of  this  story.  In  general  outline 
it  is  entirely  probable.  After  the  children  of  Israel  had  crossed 
over  the  Jordan,  other  tribes  from  the  east,  like  the  Moabites, 
might  well  in  a  few  years  have  followed  their  example,  and  the 

43 


12  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


2.  Ehud,  3:  12-30 

R^  12.  And  the  children  of  Israel  again  did  that  which  was 
evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  :  and  the  Lord  strength- 
ened Eglon  the  king  of  Moab  against  Israel,  because 
they  had  done  that  which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the 

13.  Lord.  And  he  gathered  unto  him  the  children  of 
Ammon  and  Amalek ;   and  he  went  and  smote  Israel, 

14.  and  they  possessed  the  city  of  palm  trees.  And  the 
children  of  Israel  served  Eglon  the  king  of  Moab  eigh- 

15.  teen  years.  But  when  the  children  of  Israel  cried 
unto  the  Lord,  the  Lord  raised  them  up  a  saviour, 
Ehud  the  son  of  Gera,  the  Benjamite,  a  man  left- 
handed  :   and  the  children  of  Israel  sent  a  present  by 

J   16.   him  unto  Eglon  the  king  of  Moab.     And  Ehud  made 


establishment  of  their  headquarters  at  Jericho  (v.  13)  would 
not  have  been  difficult.  How  complete  the  suzerainty  of 
Moab  was  over  Israel  is  of  course  unknown.  It  may  have  been 
quite  slight  and  limited  to  a  small  district. 

12.  Eglon.  Is  not  mentioned  elsewhere.  Moab.  The  coun- 
try east  of  the  Dead  Sea. 

13.  Ammon.  Kindred  of  the  Moabites  with  territory  adjoin- 
ing that  of  Moab  on  the  north  and  east.  Amalek.  See  on 
1 :  16.  Neither  Ammon  nor  Amalek  appear  in  the  continuation 
of  the  story.     The  city  of  palm  trees.     I.e.  Jericho  (see  i  :  16), 

15.  Ehud.  A  family  or  clan  name  of  Benjamin  in  i  Chron. 
8 :  6.  Arabic  clans  are  sometimes  named  from  heroes.  Gera. 
A  son  or  grandson  of  Benjamin,  i.e.  one  of  the  leading  clans  or 
divisions  of  the  tribe  (Gen.  46:  21;  i  Chron.  8:3,  7).  Shimei, 
who  cursed  David,  belonged  to  this  clan  (2  Sam.  16:  5).  Left- 
handed,  Thus  seemingly  were  warriors  of  Benjamin  generally 
(20  :  16 ;  I  Chron.  12:2).  A  present.  The  Hebrew  word  denotes 
a  contribution  of  tribute  probably  in  products  of  the  country 
since  bearers  brought  it  (v.  18). 

44 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  3:20 


him  a  sword  which  had  two  edges,  of  a  cubit  length ; 
and  he  girded  it  under  his  raiment  upon  his  right 

17.  thigh.    And  he  offered  the  present  unto  Eglon  king 

18.  of  Moab  :  now  Eglon  was  a  very  fat  man.  And  when 
he  had  made  an  end  of  offering  the  present,  he  sent 

19.  away  the  people  that  bare  the  present.  But  he  him- 
self turned  back  from  the  ^  quarries,  that  were  by 
Gilgal,  and  said,  I  have  a  secret  errand  unto  thee,  O 
king.   And  he  said.  Keep  silence.   And  all  that  stood 

20.  by  him  went  out  from  him.  And  Ehud  came  unto  him ; 
and  he  was  sitting  by  himself  alone  in  his  ^summer 

^  Or,  graven  images.  '  Heb.  upper  chamber  of  cooling. 

16.  Of  a  cubit  length.  The  word  translated  cubit  is  gomed, 
found  only  here,  a  measure  of  uncertain  length,  probably  of 
twelve  or  thirteen  inches.  Under  his  raiment  upon  his  right 
thigh.  An  unsuspected  place  of  concealment  since  the  weapons 
were  regularly  carried  on  the  left  side ;  but  Ehud  was  left-handed. 

17.  A  very  fat  man.  The  mention  of  this  fact  here  anticipates 
the  part  it  plays  in  the  story. 

18.  The  present.  See  v.  15.  The  people.  A  considerable 
retinue  of  bearers  evidently  accompanied  him. 

19.  He  himself  turned  back.  From  the  retinue,  with  which 
he  had  gone  some  distance.  Quarries.  A  word  of  uncertain 
meaning.  Probably  carved  stones  of  some  nature  are  intended, 
possibly  the  cromlech  or  circle  of  stones  thought  to  be  indicated 
in  the  name  Gilgal  and  identified  by  some  as  the  stones  as- 
cribed by  tradition  as  set  up  by  Joshua.  Gilgal.  See  2:1.  I 
have  a  secret  errand  unto  thee.  The  message  sent  by  Ehud  to 
the  king  given  in  the  form  of  a  direct  statement.  His  own 
entrance  is  described  in  the  following  verse.  The  ruse  was  that 
he  had  a  divine  communication  (v.  20)  which  could  only  be  con- 
veyed in  private.  It  worked  perfectly.  The  king  commanded 
his  attendants  to  retire  and  granted  Ehud  a  private  audience. 

20.  The  audience.  And  he  was  sitting,  etc.  His  complete 
isolation  is  emphasized,  and  the  place  of  the  interview,  the  roof 

45 


21  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


parlour.    And  Ehud  said,  I  have  a  message  from  God 

21.  unto  thee.  And  he  arose  out  of  his  seat.  And  Ehud 
put  forth  his  left  hand,  and  took  the  sword  from  his 

22.  right  thigh,  and  thrust  it  into  his  belly :  and  the  haft 
also  went  in  after  the  blade ;  and  the  fat  closed  upon 
the  blade,  for  he  drew  not  the  sword  out  of  his  belly ; 

23.  and  ^  it  came  out  behind.  Then  Ehud  went  forth 
into  the  porch,  and  shut  the  doors  of  the  parlour  upon 

24.  him,  and  locked  them.  Now  when  he  was  gone  out, 
his  servants  came;  and  they  saw,  and,  behold,  the 
doors  of  the  parlour  were  locked;  and  they  said. 
Surely  he  covereth  his  feet  in  his  summer  chamber. 

25.  And  they  tarried  till  they  were  ashamed:  and,  be- 
hold, he  opened  not  the  doors  of  the  parlour;  there- 

1  Or,  he  went  out  into  the  antechamber. 


or  upper   story   chamber,  is  given.     These  descriptive  touches 
heighten  the  picture  and  explain  the  escape. 

22.  The  man  was  so  fat,  the  weapon,  two-edged,  so  sharp,  and 
the  thrust  so  strong  that  the  handle  followed  the  blade  and  the 
weapon  was  left  in  the  wound.  And  it  came  out  behind.  I.e. 
the  weapon  passed  through  him.  The  sentence,  however,  is 
of  very  doubtful  meaning.  The  marginal  reading,  "  He  [Ehud] 
went  out  into  the  antechamber,"  has  nothing  to  commend  it. 
The  most  probable  meaning  is  that  the  dirt  (the  feces)  went  out 
through  the  natural  passage.  This  is  said  to  be  the  eflfect  of 
such  a  wound. 

23,  24.  Porch.  The  rendering  of  a  word  of  unknown  meaning. 
We  only  know  that  Ehud  left  the  room  and  that  he  also  locked 
the  door  (the  door  was  double,  of  two  leaves).  Probably  he  went 
through  the  usual  entrance,  since  the  servants  seem  to  have  seen  his 
departure.  Surely  he  covereth  his  feet.  A  euphemism.  "  Surely 
he  relieveth  himself  in  the  cabinet  of  his  summer  chamber." 

25.   Till  they  were  ashamed.     I.e.  in  perplexity  and  confusion, 
46 


THE  BOOK  OF   JUDGES  3:29 


fore  they  took  the  key,  and  opened  them:    and,  be- 
hold, their  lord  was  fallen  down  dead  on  the  earth. 

26.  And  Ehud  escaped  while  they  tarried,  and  passed 
beyond    the    ^  quarries,    and    escaped    unto    Seirah. 

27.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  was  come,  that  he  blew 
a  trumpet  in  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim,  and  the 
children  of  Israel  went  down  with  him  from  the  hill 

28.  country,  and  he  before  them.  And  he  said  unto  them, 
Follow  after  me :  for  the  Lord  hath  delivered  your 
enemies  the  Moabites  into  your  hand.  And  they 
went  down  after  him,  and  took  the  fords  of  Jordan 
2  against  the  Moabites,  and  suffered  not  a  man  to  pass 

29.  over.    And  they  smote  of  Moab  at  that  time  about 

1  Or,  graven  images.  *  Or,  toward  Moab. 

till  they  could  endure  the  suspense  no  longer.  The  key.  An 
eastern  lock  or  bolt,  made  of  wood,  may  be  closed  by  the  hand, 
but  requires  a  key  to  open  it. 

26.  Quarries.  See  v.  19.  Some  have  supposed  that  these 
stones  were  boundary  marks  between  the  territory  of  Moab  and 
Israel.  Seirah.  The  site  of  this  place  is  unknown.  It  must 
have  been  somewhere  in  Mt,  Ephraim. 

V.  27  is  a  description  of  the  muster,  and  vv.  28-29,  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  action  after  the  muster. 

27.  He  blew  a  trumpet.  I.e.  sounded  the  alarm  and  thus 
summoned  the  warriors  (cf.  6:34;  i  Sam.  13:3;  Amos  3:6; 
Ezek.  33:3  ff.).  Eglon's  assassination  put  Israel  in  danger. 
Hill  country  of  Ephraim.  (2  :  9  ;  4 :  5.)  The  portion  of  mountain- 
ous country  from  the  neighborhood  of  Jerusalem  northward  to 
its  termination  at  the  plain  of  Esdraelon. 

28.  This  verse  is  somewhat  repetitious  of  the  previous  one. 
Some  find,  therefore,  marks  of  a  double  narrative,  but  v.  27  may 
be  taken  descriptive  of  the  muster,  and  v.  28  of  the  action  im- 
mediately following.  They  .  .  .  took  the  fords  of  Jordan.  Thus 
cutting   off   the   means   of  escape  into   the   territory   of   Moab. 

47 


30  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


ten  thousand  men,  every  lusty  man,  and  every  man 
RD  30.   of  valour;   and  there  escaped  not  a  man.     So  Moab 
was  subdued  that  day  under  the  hand  of  Israel.    And 
the  land  had  rest  fourscore  years. 

3.  Shamgar,s:3^ 
R  31.       And  after  him  was  Shamgar  the  son  of  Anath,  which 
smote  of  the  Phihstines  six  hundred  men  with  an  ox 
goad :  and  he  also  saved  Israel. 

29.  Every  lusty  man,  and  every  man  of  valour.  I.e.  all  were 
stout  and  valiant  men.  Not  one  escaped;  they  slew  them  all. 
The  land  seems  to  have  been  garrisoned  by  Moabite  soldiers. 

30.  Moab  was  subdued.  The  concluding  Deuteronomic 
formula  (cf.  8 :  28 ;  11  :  33).  A  conquest  of  the  land  of  Moab  is 
not  to  be  inferred.  Fourscore  years.  I.e.  two  generations,  the 
longest  period  of  peace  mentioned  in  Judges. 

The  episode  of  Shamgar,  v.  31,  since  no  period  of  judgeship  is 
assigned  to  him  and  since  he  is  entirely  ignored  in  4  :  i,  appears  like 
an  afterthought  in  the  Book  of  Judges,  later  not  only  than  the 
Deuteronomic  authorship,  but  later  than  the  editorship  which 
inserted  the  minor  judges.  The  paragraph  seems  to  have  come 
from  some  one  who  repudiated  Abimelech  as  a  judge  of  Israel 
and  added  Shamgar  to  make  the  number  twelve.  The  name  of 
the  judge  was  derived  apparently  from  5  :  6  (which  see),  even  as 
that  of  Othniel,  3  :  9,  was  derived  from  the  tradition  given  in  i  :  13. 
The  basis  of  the  story  of  the  slaughter  of  six  hundred  Philistines 
with  an  ox  goad  is  unknown.  The  exploit  is  one  similar  to  those 
of  Samson  (15  :  14  ff.)  and  of  David's  heroes,  especially  Shammah, 
the  son  of  Agee  (2  Sam.  23  :  11  f.).  It  has  even  been  conjectured 
that  the  similarity  of  the  name  of  the  latter  to  Shamgar  sug- 
gested the  assignment  to  him  of  a  similar  exploit.  The  introduc- 
tion of  the  Philistines  in  this  early  period  appears,  however,  out 
of  place  since  the  enemies  of  Israel  then  were  the  Canaanites  (see 
chap.  4).     The  Philistines  appear  later  near  the  reign  of  Saul. 

31.  An  ox  goad.  The  ox  goad  was  a  wooden  stick  with  an 
iron  point  which  might  serve  as  a  spear ;  but  that  six  hundred 
were  really  slain  with  such  a  weapon  is  improbable. 

48 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


4:1 


4.  Deborah  and  Barak,  Chaps.  4,  5 

4.       And  the  children  of  Israel  again  did  that  which  was  R» 
evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  when  Ehud  was  dead. 


Chaps.  4,  5.  The  deliverance  through  Deborah  and  Barak  is 
related  in  two  narratives,  one  of  prose  (chap.  4),  the  other  a 
triumphal  song  (chap.  5).  According  to  the  first,  which  has  the 
Deuteronomic  introduction,  the  children  of  Israel,  having  again 
apostatized  after  the  death  of  Ehud,  were  severely  oppressed  for 
twenty  years  by  Jabin,  the  Canaanite  king  of  Hazor,  when  Deb- 
orah, a  prophetess  of  Mt.  Ephraim,  instigated  Barak  of  Naph- 
tali  to  lead  a  revolt.  This  Barak  did  successfully.  Collecting 
a  force  of  ten  thousand  men  from  Zebulun  and  Naphtali,  he 
attacked  and  signally  defeated  Sisera,  the  commander  of  the 
army  of  Jabin,  near  the  river  Kishon.  Sisera  in  flight  sought 
refuge  in  the  camp  of  some  friendly  Kenites  and  was  treacher- 
ously slain  by  the  wife  of  the  sheikh.  The  poem,  chapter  five, 
celebrates  this  victory,  but  dififers  in  these  important  details: 
(i)  Jabin  is  not  mentioned;  (2)  Sisera  appears  as  a  king  and 
other  kings  are  joined  with  him;  (3)  the  tribes  who  furnish  the 
warriors  for  the  battles  are  not  only  Zebulun  and  Naphtali,  but 
also  Ephraim,  Machir  {i.e.  Manasseh),  Benjamin,  and  Issachar; 
and  Reuben,  Gilead  {i.e.  Gad),  Dan,  and  Asher  are  reproached 
for  not  assisting.  All  Israel  thus  appears  involved  except  the 
southern  tribes,  Judah  and  Simeon.  There  is  also  no  mention 
of  Levi.  (4)  The  details  of  the  death  of  Sisera  are  also  different. 
In  chapter  four  he  is  slain  asleep ;  in  chapter  five  while  standing 
upright. 

The  prose  narrative  contains  also  inconsistencies  within  itself. 
In  vv.  9  f.  the  center  of  the  revolt  is  at  Kedesh,  clearly  Kedesh- 
naphtali,  the  home  of  Barak.  Near  this  Kedesh  the  Kenites  are 
encamped  (v.  11).  But  in  v.  13  the  headquarters  of  Sisera  are 
Harosheth,  a  town  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  near  the  river  Kishon. 
In  harmony  with  this,  the  rendezvous  of  Barak's  men,  in  vv. 
IS  f.,  is  Mt.  Tabor  and  from  thence  they  march  against  Sisera. 
Jabin  also  has  no  part  in  the  battle  and  is  not  mentioned  in 
connection  with  the  defeat.  Considering  all  these  facts,  it  is 
probable  that  in  chapter  four  two  conflicts  with  the  Canaanites 
E  49 


4:2  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


2.  And  the  Lord  sold  them  into  the  hand  of  Jabin  king 
of  Canaan,  that  reigned  in  Hazor;  the  captain  of 
whose  host  was  Sisera,  which  dwelt  in  Harosheth  of 
the  ^  Gentiles.     And  the  children  of  Israel  cried  unto 

^  Or,  nations. 

have  been  confused  :  one  confined  perhaps  to  the  tribes  of  Zebu- 
lun  and  Naphtali,  in  which  Jabin,  King  of  Hazor,  took  part,  the 
seat  of  which  was  near  to  Hazor  in  the  north;  and  the  other, 
celebrated  in  the  song,  in  which  Sisera  was  the  leader  of  the  enemy 
and  which  arose  from  a  confederacy  of  the  Canaanites  of  the 
plain  of  Esdraelon  and  adjacent  parts  against  the  IsraeUtes-  of 
Central  and  North  Palestine,  whose  leaders  and  deliverers  were 
Deborah  and  Barak.  The  former  conflict  gave  rise  to  the  record 
in  Josh.  11:1-9,  where  Jabin  appears  as  the  head  of  a  con- 
federacy of  Canaanitish  kings  whom  Joshua  defeated  at  the 
Waters  of  Merom.  The  appearance  of  the  Kenites  in  connection 
with  each  is  probably  not  due  to  any  such  original  connection, 
but  to  a  harmonizing  editor.  Originally  the  Kenites  probably 
had  no  part  in  the  northern  conflict. 

The  conflict  of  Central  Palestine  was  unquestionably  one  of 
great  historic  moment.  Under  Sisera  the  Canaanites  were 
clearly  getting  the  upper  hand  of  Israel ;  and  had  he  prevailed, 
the  development  of  Israel  would  have  been  greatly  retarded. 
The  result  of  the  contest  seems  to  have  been  very  decisive,  for, 
although  the  cities  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon  may  not  have  become 
an  integral  part  of  Israel  until  later  times,  yet  we  never  read  of 
the  Canaanites  again  taking  a  stand  against  Israel.  Their 
defeat  was  as  decisive  as  crushing. 

4  :  2.  Jabin.  Cf.  vv.  7,  17  ;  Josh.  11 :  i ;  see  also  above.  Bling 
of  Canaan.  The  Deuteronomic  editor  ascribed  a  political  unity 
to  Canaan  as  well  as  to  Israel.  Historically  there  was  no  king 
of  Canaan,  i.e.  a  single  sovereign  ruling  the  whole  land.  The 
government  was  that  of  independent  municipalities,  each  one 
of  which  had  its  own  king.  Hazor.  Near  Kedesh,  west  of  Lake 
Merom,  not  identified  (cf,  2  Kgs.  15:29;  Josh.  19:36).  The 
captain  of  whose  host  was  Sisera.  A  harmonizing  statement 
which  arose  from  the  confusion  of  two  conflicts   (see  above). 

SO 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


3.  the  Lord:  for  he  had  nine  hundred  chariots  of  iron; 
and  twenty  years  he  mightily  oppressed  the  children 
of  Israel. 

4.  Now  Deborah,  a  prophetess,  the  wife  of  Lappidoth,  jg 

5.  she  judged  Israel  at  that  time.  And  she  ^  dwelt  under 
the  palm  tree  of  Deborah  between  Ramah  and  Beth-el 

1  Or,  sat. 

Sisera  in  reality  had  no  connection  with  Jabin.  Harosheth. 
Cf.  vv.  13,  16;  not  mentioned  elsewhere  in  the  Old  Testament, 
and  generally  identified  with  el-Harithiyeh,  some  ten  miles  north- 
northwest  of  Megiddo.  Of  the  Gentiles.  I.e.  a  town  of  non- 
Israelitish  inhabitants. 

3.  Chariots  of  iron.  See  i :  19.  These  instruments  of  war- 
fare enabled  Sisera  to  control  the  plain.  Thotmes  III  records 
924  chariots  taken  in  the  battle  of  Megiddo,  where  the  Egyptians 
won  a  great  victory  over  a  group  of  Asiatic  allies  led  by  the  king 
of  Kadesh  in  the  fifteenth  century  B.C. 

4.  Deborah.  Also  the  name  of  Rebekah's  nurse  (Gen.  35  :  8). 
The  word  means  "  bee."  A  prophetess.  I.e.  a  woman  moved 
by  divine  inspirations.  The  term  is  applied  to  Miriam  (Exod. 
15:20),  Huldah  (2  Kgs.  22:14),  Noadiah  (Neh.  6:14),  and 
the  wife  of  Isaiah  (Isa.  8:3).  Lappidoth.  A  name  of  doubt- 
ful meaning  not  occurring  elsewhere.  She  judged  Israel.  Acted 
as  an  arbitrator  of  disputes.  The  people  came  to  her  somewhat 
in  the  same  manner  as  they  are  represented  in  Exod.  18:  13  as 
coming  to  Moses ;  only  the  number  who  sought  her  need  not  have 
been  very  large,  since  Israel  was  not  then  unified. 

5.  And  she  dwelt.  May  also  be  rendered  sat,  held  her  court. 
The  palm  tree  of  Deborah.  The  later  name  of  the  tree,  derived 
from  its  association  with  Deborah.  Some  have  supposed  it  identi- 
cal with  the  tree  beneath  which  Rebekah's  nurse,  Deborah,  was 
said  to  have  been  buried,  below  Bethel,  north  of  Jerusalem  (Gen. 
35  :  8).  The  residence  beneath  the  tree  was  not  accidental.  The 
tree  was  without  doubt  regarded  as  sacred  through  the  abode 
of  a  divinity  through  whom  the  prophetess  might  derive  inspira- 
tion.    Even  at  the  present  time  certain  trees  in  Palestine  are 

51 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


in  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim :  and  the  children  of 

6.  Israel  came  up  to  her  for  judgement.  And  she  sent 
and  called  Barak  the  son  of  Abinoam  out  of  Kedesh- 
naphtali,  and  said  unto  him,  Hath  not  the  Lord,  the 
God  of  Israel,  commanded,  saying,  Go  and  draw  unto 
mount  Tabor,  and  take  with  thee  ten  thousand  men 
of  the  children  of  NaphtaH  and  of  the  children  of  Zebu- 

7.  lun  ?  And  I  will  draw  unto  thee  to  the  river  Kishon 
Sisera,  the  captain  of  Jabin's  army,  with  his  chariots 
and  his  multitude ;  and  I  will  deliver  him  into  thine 

8.  hand.  And  Barak  said  unto  her,  If  thou  wilt  go  with 
me,  then  I  will  go :  but  if  thou  wilt  not  go  with  me,  I 

9.  will  not  go.  And  she  said,  I  will  surely  go  with  thee : 
notwithstanding  the  journey  that  thou  takest  shall 
not  be  for  thine  honour ;  for  the  Lord  shall  sell  Sisera 
into  the  hand  of  a  woman.     And  Deborah  arose,  and 

10.  went  with  Barak  to  Kedesh.  And  Barak  called  Zebu- 
lun  and  NaphtaU  together  to  Kedesh;  and  there 
went  up  ten  thousand  men  at  his  feet :  and  Deborah 


revered  as  the  dwelling  places  of  spirits  or  divinities,  and  votive 
offerings  are  placed  on  their  branches.  Ramah.  Modern  er-Ram, 
north  of  Jerusalem.     The  hill  country  of  Ephraim.     See  on  3  :  27. 

6.  Barak.  The  word  means  "  lightning."  Not  elsewhere  in 
the  Old  Testament  as  a  proper  name  but  the  same  as  the  Car- 
thaginian Barcas.  Kedesh-naphtali.  Northwest  of  Lake  Merom. 
The  place  still  retains  its  old  name.  Tabor.  Southwest  of  the 
Sea  of  Galilee,  a  natural  base  of  operations  against  the  Canaanite 
cities  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon. 

7.  Kishon.  The  stream  traversing  the  northern  portion  of 
the  plain.  This  exhortation  of  Deborah  is  phrased  according  to 
the  result  of  the  encounter ;    also  the  words  of  v.  9. 

10.  Kedesh.  As  a  rendezvous  is  agreeable  to  the  story  of  the 
conflict  with  Jabin  (see  above). 

52 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


11.  went  up  with  him.     Now  Heber  the  Kenite  had  sev-  R 
ered  himself  from  ^  the  Kenites,  even  from  the  chil- 
dren of  Hobab  the  ^  brother  in  law  of  Moses,  and  had 
pitched  his  tent  as  far  as  the  ^  oak  in  Zaanannim,  which 

12.  is  by  Kedesh.     And  they  told  Sisera  that  Barak  the  JE 
the  son  of  Abinoam  was  gone  up  to  mount  Tabor. 

13.  And  Sisera  gathered  together  all  his  chariots,  even 
nine  hundred  chariots  of  iron,  and  all  the  people  that 
were  with  him,  from  Harosheth  of  the  ^  Gentiles,  unto 

14.  the  river  Kishon.  And  Deborah  said  unto  Barak, 
Up;  for  this  is  the  day  in  which  the  Lord  hath  de- 
livered Sisera  into  thine  hand :  is  not  the  Lord  gone 
out  before  thee?     So  Barak  went  down  from  mount 

15.  Tabor,  and  ten  thousand  men  after  him.  And  the 
Lord  discomfited  Sisera,  and  all  his  chariots,  and 
all  his  host,  with  the  edge  of  the  sword  before  Barak ; 
and  Sisera  lighted  down  from  his  chariot,  and  fled 

16.  away  on   his  feet.     But    Barak    pursued    after    the 

'*  Heb.  Kaitt.     See  Num.  24 :  22.  2  Or,  father  in  law.  'Or,  terebinth. 

*  Or,  nations. 

II.  Heber.  Representing  a  Kenite  family,  he  had  separated 
himself  from  his  brethren  who  dwelt  in  the  southern  part  of 
Judah  (see  i  :  16)  and  had  migrated  to  Northern  Palestine.  The 
oak  in  Zaanannim.  More  correctly  the  oak  of  Bezaanannim, 
mentioned  also  in  Josh.  19 :  33.  This  verse  seems  to  belong  to 
the  story  of  Jabin.  It  is  probably  an  editorial  note  introductory 
to  V.  17,  written,  then,  after  the  fusion  of  the  two  stories. 

14.  Is  not  the  Lord  gone  out  before  thee?  Has  not  Jehovah 
prepared  the  way  for  the  victory? 

15.  The  Lord  discomfited.  The  foe  were  panic-stricken  by 
Jehovah.  The  phrase  is  frequently  used  to  describe  Israel's  rout 
of  an  enemy  (cf.  Exod.  14:  24;  Josh.  10:  10;  i  Sam.  7:  10). 

16.  Harosheth  of  the  Gentiles.     See  on  v.  2. 

53 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


chariots,  and  after  the  host,  unto  Harosheth  of  the 
^  Gentiles :  and  all  the  host  of  Sisera  fell  by  the  edge 
of  the  sword ;  there  was  not  a  man  left. 

17.  Howbeit  Sisera  fled  away  on  his  feet  to  the  tent  of 
Jael  the  wife  of  Heber  the  Kenite:  for  there  was 
peace  between  Jabin  the  king  of  Hazor  and  the  house 

18.  of  Heber  the  Kenite.  And  Jael  went  out  to  meet 
Sisera,  and  said  unto  him.  Turn  in,  my  lord,  turn  in  to 
me ;  fear  not.     And  he  turned  in  unto  her  into  the  tent, 

19.  and  she  covered  him  with  a  rug.  And  he  said  unto 
her.  Give  me,  I  pray  thee,  a  little  water  to  drink ;  for 
I  am  thirsty.    And  she  opened  a  bottle  of  milk,  and 

20.  gave  him  drink,  and  covered  him.  And  he  said  unto 
her,  Stand  in  the  door  of  the  tent,  and  it  shall  be,  when 
any  man  doth  come  and  inquire  of  thee,  and  say.  Is 

21.  there  any  man  here?  that  thou  shalt  say.  No.  Then 
Jael  Heber's  wife  took  a  tent-pin,  and  took  an  ham- 
mer in  her  hand,  and  went  softly  unto  him,  and  smote 
the  pin  into  his  temples,  and  it  pierced  through  into 
the  ground ;  for  he  was  ^  in  a  deep  sleep ;  so  he  swooned 

22.  and  died.    And,  behold,  as  Barak  pursued  Sisera, 

1  Or,  nations.  *  Or,  in  a  deep  sleep  and  weary;  so  he  died. 

17.  Jael.  The  name  means  "mountain  goat."  Heber  the 
Kenite.     See  on  v.  11. 

19.  Bottle  of  milk.  Skin  of  curdled  milk,  which  in  Bedouin 
encampments  is  often  found  at  the  tent  door. 

21.  Tent-pin.  The  sharp  wooden  pin  used  to  hold  a  tent  cord. 
Hammer.  Probably  the  heavy  wooden  mallet  with  which  the 
tent-pins  are  driven.  This  driving  is  the  work  of  Arab  women. 
The  method  of  slaughter  seems  cumbersome.  But  if  accustomed 
to  hold  and  strike  the  pin,  it  probably  seemed  more  natural  and 
safer  than  to  crush  his  head  with  a  single  blow. 

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Jael  came  out  to  meet  him,  and  said  unto  him,  Come, 
and  I  will  shew  thee  the  man  whom  thou  seekest. 
And  he  came  unto  her ;  and,  behold,  Sisera  lay  dead, 

23.  and  the  tent-pin  was  in  his  temples.     So  God  sub-  Ri> 
dued  on  that  day  Jabin  the  king  of  Canaan  before 

24.  the  children  of  Israel.  And  the  hand  of  the  children 
of  Israel  prevailed  more  and  more  against  Jabin  the 
king  of  Canaan,  until  they  had  destroyed  Jabin  king 
of  Canaan. 

5.       Then  sang  Deborah  and  Barak  the  son  of  Abinoam 
on  that  day,  saying, 

23  f.    The  Deuteronomic  conclusion. 

Chap.  5.  The  Song  of  Deborah  is  the  most  ancient  complete 
piece  of  writing  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  was  composed  at  the 
time  of  the  victory  which  it  celebrates.  This  contemporary  origin 
appears  in  the  natural  and  vivid  description  of  that  event  and 
nothing  else,  no  long  enduring  circumstances  are  its  background 
and  nothing  of  a  later  age  is  reflected,  while  marks  of  its  own  time 
are  evident  in  the  silence  concerning  Judah,  in  the  limited  number 
of  the  warriors  of  Israel,  who  are  only  40,000  (v.  8),  in  the  mention 
of  Machir  for  Manasseh  (v.  14),  and  Gilead  for  Gad  (v.  17).  The 
fresh  vigor  of  the  poem  likewise  favors  this  date.  The  song  is, 
then,  a  most  precious  historical  document.  A  bond  of  union  be- 
tween the  tribes  in  the  worship  of  Jehovah  is  revealed,  and  a  lack 
also  of  all  political  unity,  since  each  tribe  seems  to  have  acted 
independently.  Their  numerical  strength  also  was  small.  Judah 
was  separated  from  the  rest.  No  mention  also  is  made  of  Simeon 
and  Levi.  The  Israel  which  acts  or  to  which  appeal  is  made  is 
that  which  later  formed  the  northern  kingdom.  The  land  oc- 
cupied west  of  the  Jordan  was  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim  and 
stretches  to  the  north  in  Galilee.  The  great  plain  was  still  in  the 
hands  of  the  Canaanites. 

The  poem  is  often  assigned  to  Deborah  as  its  author,  but  the 
reasons  are  not  very  cogent.  No  decision  can  be  given.  While 
the  song  is  ancient  and  illustrates  the  fact  that  in  early  Israel, 

55 


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2.   For  that  the  leaders  took  the  lead  in  Israel, 
For  that  the  people  offered  themselves  willingly, 
Bless  ye  the  Lord. 

as  in  the  case  of  other  peoples,  literature  had  its  beginnings  in 
songs,  yet  it  is  marked  with  a  certain  artistic  construction. 
It  opens  with  a  call  to  bless  Jehovah  for  heroic  devotion  (v.  2), 
invoking  the  attention  of  kings  (v.  3)  and  describing  the  mani- 
festation of  Jehovah  in  a  storm  (vv.  4  f.).  The  prelude  attests 
the  thorough  religious  character  of  the  song.  Then  comes  in  vv. 
6-8  a  description  of  the  desolation  of  the  land,  as  overrun  by  hos- 
tile bands  so  that  trafi&c  ceased  and  villages  were  abandoned,  with 
an  interlude  in  vv.  9-1 1  calling  upon  travellers  to  rehearse  the 
deeds  of  Jehovah,  thus  preparing  for  the  main  theme,  which 
follows  after  a  passionate  introduction  in  v.  12.  Vv.  13-18 
describe  the  muster  or  response  to  the  call  to  arms,  enumerating 
the  contingents  which  came  and  the  tribes  who  made  no  response. 
In  the  battle,  described  in  the  following  verses  (19-22),  a  storm 
and  the  flooded  waters  of  the  stream  Kishon  seem  to  have  played 
a  significant  part.  A  vivid  description  of  the  death  of  Sisera 
(vv.  23-27)  is  introduced,  with  a  curse  upon  Meroz,  who  lent  no 
assistance,  and  a  blessing  on  Jael,  who  treacherously  slew  him. 
The  manner  of  his  death  is  described  in  detail.  This  description 
is  matched  by  an  antistrophe  in  vv.  28-30,  picturing  the  anxious 
thoughts  of  the  warrior's  mother  and  her  attendants  awaiting 
in  vain  his  return,  and  in  v.  31  an  appropriate  and  pious  and 
patriotic  wish  closes  the  poem.  Many  of  the  words  of  this 
song  do  not  occur  elsewhere,  and  are  of  doubtful  meaning.  The 
text  also  has  suffered  much  in  transcription.  Some  lines  there- 
fore are  very  obscure  and  the  renderings  of  the  English  and  other 
versions  are  little  more  than  guesses. 

1.  The  introduction  by  the  Deuteronomic  editor.  Day  is 
used  in  the  same  meaning  of  time  as  in  English. 

2.  Another  rendering  for  the  first  line,  which  contains  rare 
words,  is  For  that  long  hair  is  loosed  in  Israel  with  reference  to 
Nazirite  vows  of  warriors  dedicating  themselves  to  Jehovah  as 
though  the  war  were  a  peculiarly  religious  one.  But  the  rendering 
of  the  text  is  better.  Jehovah  is  to  be  praised  because  the  leaders 
were  at  hand  to  lead  and  because  the  people  freely  volunteered. 

56 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


3.  Hear,  O  ye  kings ;  give  ear,  O  ye  princes ; 
I,  even  I,  will  sing  unto  the  Lord  ; 

I  will  sing  praise  to  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel. 

4.  Lord,  when  thou  wentest  forth  out  of  Seir, 
When  thou  marchedst  out  of  the  field  of  Edom, 
The  earth  trembled,  the  heavens  also  dropped, 
Yea,  the  clouds  dropped  water. 

5.  The  mountains  ^  flowed  down  at  the  presence  of  the 

Lord, 
Even  yon  Sinai  at  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  the  God 
of  Israel. 


Or,  quaked. 


3.  For  similar  invocations  cf.  Gen.  4:  23;  Num.  23:  18,  of 
the  heavens,  Isa.  1:2;  Deut.  32:1.  The  rulers  here  addressed 
would  be  those  of  adjacent  peoples,  perhaps  of  the  vanquished 
foes. 

4,  5.  In  the  battle  the  Israelites  were  assisted  by  a  storm  (vv. 
20,21),  hence  in  anticipation  Jehovah  is  here  described  as  manifesting 
himself  in  a  thunder  storm.  This  is  a  frequent  way  of  describing 
the  presence  of  deity  in  the  Old  Testament ;  Jehovah  appears  on 
Mt.  Sinai  in  thunders  and  lightning  and  a  thick  cloud,  Exod.  19  :  16; 
through  a  storm  he  answers  and  delivers  one  in  distress,  2  Sam.  22  : 
8  ff. ;  Ps.  18 :  7  fif. ;  he  spoke  to  Job  out  of  the  whirlwind.  Job 
38:1.  Ps.  29  is  a  description  of  a  thunder  storm.  Cf.  also 
Ps.  97  :  2  ff. ;  Mic.  i :  2  ff. 

4.  Jehovah  is  thought  of  as  dwelling  on  Mt.  Sinai  or  Horeb  (cf. 
I  Kgs.  19),  and  coming  from  thence  to  the  help  of  Israel  against 
Sisera  by  the  way  of  Mt.  Seir,  the  land  of  Edom,  which  lies  south- 
east of  Judah,  and  a  great  storm  accompanies  him.  From  this 
verse  are  derived  the  parallel  passages,  Deut.  33  :  2  f . ;  Hab. 
3:3  f-;  Ps.  68:8  f. 

5.  Flowed  down.  I.e.  streamed  with  water.  Yon  Sinai. 
If  retained  in  the  text,  Jehovah's  presence  or  the  storm  was  felt 
even  in  distant  Sinai. 

57 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


6.  In  the  days  of  Shamgar  the  son  of  Anath, 

In  the  days  of  Jael,  ^  the  high  ways  were  unoccupied, 
And  the  travellers  walked  through  ^  byways. 

7.  ^The  rulers  ceased  in  Israel,  they  ceased, 
Until  that  I  Deborah  arose, 

That  I  arose  a  mother  in  Israel. 

8.  They  chose  new  gods ; 
Then  was  war  in  the  gates  : 

*  Or,  the  caravans  ceased.      *  Heb.  crooked  ways .      '  Or,  The  villages  were  unoccupied. 

6.  A  description  of  the  insecurity  of  the  times.  Shamgar 
the  son  of  Anath.  Not  an  Israelitish  judge  who  preceded  De- 
borah and  Barak,  the  usual  interpretation,  because  Shamgar  as  a 
judge  is  an  afterthought  derived  from  this  passage  (cf.  3:31)* 
but  a  foreign  oppressor.  The  name  in  both  its  elements  is  non- 
Israelitish;  the  second,  Anath,  is  the  name  of  a  Canaanitish 
goddess;  the  first,  Shamgar,  has  not  been  so  clearly  identified. 
Some  find  in  it  a  Babylonian  name,  others  a  Hittite  name. 
In  the  days  of  Jael.  Jael  can  only  refer  to  the  heroine  of  vv.  24  ff., 
but  it  is  difficult  to  understand  why  her  name  should  be  mentioned 
in  connection  with  the  preceding  desolation.  The  words  dis- 
turb the  metre  of  the  Hebrew  lines  and  are  probably  a  gloss. 
The  high  ways  were  unoccupied.  Better  the  margin,  the  caravans 
ceased.  This  was  because  of  foreign  marauders.  In  peaceful  times, 
long  before  the  period  of  the  judges,  there  was  constant  intercourse 
between  the  towns  of  Palestine  through  travelling  merchant 
men.  And  the  travellers,  etc.  Persons  compelled  to  go  through 
the  country  were  obliged  to  resort  to  circuitous  and  unfrequented 
routes. 

7.  The  rulers  ceased.  Better  the  margin.  The  villages  were 
unoccupied.  Unwalled  towns  were  either  deserted  through  fear  or 
desolated  by  marauders. 

8.  The  first  two  lines,  as  given,  mean  that  at  this  time  Israel 
departed  from  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  choosing  other  gods,  and 
suffered  from  the  attacks  of  enemies.  But  the  Hebrew  text  is  very 
obscure.     Another  rendering  is  The  sacrifices  to  God  {or  gods)  ceased 

S8 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


Was  there  a  shield  or  spear  seen 
Among  forty  thousand  in  Israel  ? 
9.  My  heart  is  toward  the  governors  of  Israel, 

^  That  offered  themselves  willingly  among  the  people : 
Bless  ye  the  Lord. 

10.  Tell  of  it,  ye  that  ride  on  white  asses, 
Ye  that  sit  on  rich  carpets, 

And  ye  that  walk  by  the  way. 

11.  2  Far  from  the  noise  of  archers,  in  the  places  of  drawing 

water. 
There  shall  they  rehearse  the  righteous  acts  of  theLoRD> 
Even  the  righteous  acts  ^  of  his  rule  in  Israel. 
Then  the  people  of  the  Lord  went  down  to  the  gates. 


^  Or,  Ye  that  ofered  yourselves  willingly  among  the  people,  bless  b'c.        *  Or,  Because 
of  the  voice  of  the  archers  .  .  .  there  let  them  rehearse.  '  Or,  toward  his  villages. 


and  barley  bread  failed,  i.e.  the  people  were  oppressed  with  famine. 
Cf.  for  the  failure  of  sacrijBces  under  shortage  through  drought, 
Joel  1 :  13.  Barley  bread  was  the  common  food  of  the  country. 
Was  there  a  shield,  etc.  The  people  must  not  be  thought  of 
as  entirely  destitute  of  weapons.  The  expression  is  hyperbolic. 
Forty  thousand.  This  moderate  and  without  doubt  historic 
estimate  of  Israel's  warriors  is  in  striking  contrast  to  the  arti- 
ficial numbers  of  Exod.  12  :  37  ;    Num.  i :  46;    2  :  32. 

Vv.  9-1 1  constitute  an  interlude;  v.  9  is  a  repetition  of  the 
motive  of  v.  2. 

10,  II.  The  text  of  these  verses,  like  that  of  the  first  two  lines 
of  V.  8,  is  so  corrupt  and  obscure  that  many  scholars  refuse  to 
attempt  a  translation.  Accepting  the  one  given,  an  appeal  is 
made,  with  the  background  of  peace  and  prosperity,  to  travellers, 
those  riding  on  tawny  asses,  sitting  on  saddle  cloths,  and  those  walk- 
ing on  the  way,  to  rehearse,  far  from  the  tumult  of  archers,  among 
such  peaceful  companies  as  gather  at  watering  places,  the  acts 
of  Jehovah's  deliverance,  i.e.  those  celebrated  in  this  song.  Then 
the  people  of  the  Lord  went  down  to  the  gates.    I.e.  then  the  war 

59 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


12.  Awake,  awake,  Deborah ; 
Awake,  awake,  utter  a  song : 

Arise,  Barak,  and  lead  thy  captivity  captive,  thou  son 
of  Abinoam. 

13.  ^Then  came  down  a  remnant  of  the  nobles  ^  and  the 

people ; 
The  Lord  came  down  for  me  ^  against  the  mighty. 

14.  Out  of  Ephraim  came  down  they  whose  root  is  in 

Amalek ; 

1  Or,  Then  made  he  a  remnant  to  have  dominion  over  the  nobles  and  the  people  ; 
the  LORD  made  me  have  dominion  over  the  mighty.  2  Qr,  as  otherwise  read,  the 

people  of  the  LORD  came  down  for  me  against  (or,  among)  the  mighty.        ^  Or,  among. 

began.  This  line  with  such  a  meaning  suggests  that  the  previous 
lines  beginning  with  v.  10  originally  described  the  preparations 
for  war.  In  that  case  their  original  form  has  been  irrevocably 
lost. 

12.  A  call  to  sound  the  battle  cry  summoning  the  tribes  to 
war.  Lead  thy  captivity  captive.  Go  forth  to  take  prisoners. 
Instead  of  captive  the  original  permits  the  translation  captors. 
With  that  rendering  Barak  is  summoned  to  seize  those  who  have 
carried  away  captives  from  Israel.  The  prominence  given  in 
such  warfare  to  taking  prisoners,  especially  defenceless  boys  and 
girls,  is  seen  in  v.  30,  where  Sisera  is  expected  with  the  booty  of 
young  women.  Cf.  also  the  picture  of  the  barter  of  captives  in 
Joel  3  :  3  where  a  boy  is  given  for  a  harlot  and  a  girl  for  wine. 

13.  The  text  of  this  verse  is  also  very  obscure.  The  transla- 
tions of  the  RV.  both  in  text  and  margin  have  little  in  their 
favor.  The  Hebrew  text  requires  emendation,  and  the  most 
probable  rendering  is : 

Then  Israel  came  down  like  noblemen; 

The  people  of  Jehovah  came  down  for  him  like  heroes. 

Thus  the  lines  are  a  general  description  of  the  rally  of  Israel, 
which  is  given  in  detail  in  the  following  verses.  For  him  may 
refer  either  to  Barak  or  Jehovah. 

14.  Whose  root  is  in  Amalek.   I.e.  those  who  were  settled  in  the 

60 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


After  thee,  Benjamin,  among  thy  peoples ; 
Out  of  Machir  came  down  ^  governors. 
And  out  of  Zebulun  they  that  handle  2  the  marshal's 
staflf. 
15.  And  ^  the  princes  of  Issachar  were  with  Deborah; 
As  was  Issachar,  so  was  Barak ; 

1  Or,  lawgivers.        ^  Or,  the  staf  of  the  scribe.        ^  Or,  my  princes  in  Issachar. 

part  of  Mt.  Ephraim  wrested  from  the  Amalekites  (cf.  12:  15). 
But  such  a  figurative  use  of  the  word  root  is  very  doubtful  and  in 
place  of  the  noun  with  its  possessive  ending  {whose)  a  verb  such 
as  is  supplied  in  the  English  versions  is  needed.  The  Greek  text 
also  by  omitting  a  single  letter  reads  valley  in  place  of  Amalek. 
The  next  line,  also,  since  it  is  without  meaning,  requires  slight 
emendation  and  the  two  together  may  be  rendered : 

Out  of  Ephraim  they  marched  to  the  valley  {i.e.  the  plain  where 
the  battle  was  fought). 

Thy  brother  Benjamin  among  thy  people. 
The  tribe  of  Benjamin  was  of  close  kinship  with  that  of  Ephraim, 
In  Hebrew  poetry  pronouns  of  the  second  and  third  person  are 
occasionally  used  interchangeably.  Machir  represents  the  tribe 
of  Manasseh.  In  Gen.  50 :  23  he  is  the  son  of  Manasseh,  and  in 
Josh.  17:  I,  also  by  implication  in  Num.  26:  29,  i  Chron.  7  :  14, 
his  first-born,  i.e,  Machir,  was  either  the  earliest  or  most  impor- 
tant clan  of  the  tribe.  In  Josh.  17:1  and  i  Chron.  7  :  14  he  is 
called  "  the  father  of  Gilead,"  i.e.  his  home  was  in  Gilead,  east 
of  the  Jordan.  But  in  this  passage  he  is  clearly  located  with 
Ephraim  and  Benjamin,  west  of  the  Jordan  (cf.  v.  17),  hence  the 
proper  inference  that  the  migration  of  Machir  into  the  region  east 
of  Jordan  was  subsequent  to  the  period  of  this  song.  Mar- 
shal's. The  word,  more  properly  rendered  in  the  margin  scribe, 
is  probably  a  gloss  and  therefore  should  be  omitted.  The  staff  is 
the  Symbol  of  authority. 

15.  The  princes  of  Issachar.  The  more  natural  rendering 
is  that  of  the  margin,  my  princes  in  Issachar,  but  that  of  the 
text  is  allowable,  and  it  is  difficult  to  see  why  the  princes  should 

61 


i6  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


Into  the  valley  they  rushed  forth  at  his  feet. 
By  the  watercourses  of  Reuben 
There  were  great  resolves  of  heart. 

1 6.  Why  sates t  thou  among  the  sheepfolds, 
To  hear  the  pipings  for  the  flocks  ? 

At  the  watercourses  of  Reuben 
There  were  great  searchings  of  heart. 

17.  Gilead  abode  beyond  Jordan : 

And  Dan,  why  did  he  remain  in  ships  ? 

be  called  my  princes.  The  next  line  reads  like  an  anti-climax. 
The  repetition  of  Issachar  is  also  singular.  Hence  since  Issachar 
is  not  mentioned  in  some  ancient  versions  and  since  Barak  was 
from  Naphtali,  that  tribe  may  be  substituted  for  Issachar.  The 
two  lines  may  be  read : 

Issachar^s  princes  were  with  Deborah 
And  Naphtali  was  with  Barak. 

Into  the  valley.  The  plain,  cf.  v.  14.  They  rushed,  etc.  I.e. 
they  followed  Barak.  By  the  watercourses,  etc.  At  this  point 
begins  the  description  of  those  who  refused  to  respond  to  the 
call  for  the  war.  Another  rendering  of  these  opening  words  is 
in  the  divisions  of  Reuben  with  reference  to  different  tribal  divi- 
sions. The  expectation  of  some  help  from  Reuben,  which  dwelt  east 
of  the  Dead  Sea  far  from  the  field  of  action  shows  how  strong  the 
bond,  especially  of  religion,  was  between  the  tribes  of  Israel. 
Resolves.  Better,  as  in  the  last  line  of  the  following  verse  search- 
ings. The  final  couplet  of  each  verse  should  be  read  alike.  The 
second  one  probably  is  a  repetition  through  copyist's  error. 

16.  Satest.  The  original  has  the  force  of  being  idle,  refusing 
to  help.  The  pipings.  The  calls  of  the  shepherds  to  their 
flocks. 

17.  Gilead.  The  region  east  of  the  Jordan,  north  and  south  of 
the  Jabbok.  It  was  the  home  of  the  tribe  of  Gad  for  which  it  here 
stands.  Abode.  In  the  sense  remaining  still,  refusing  to  aid. 
Dan.  The  portion  of  the  tribe  which  settled  north  of  Lake  Merom 
is  meant.     Hence  the  migration  described  in  chap.  18,  had  already 

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THE   BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


Asher  sat  still  at  the  ^  haven  of  the  sea, 
And  abode  by  his  creeks. 
i8.  Zebulun  was  a  people  that  jeoparded  their  lives  unto 
the  death, 
And  Naphtali,  upon  the  high  places  of  the  field. 

19.  The  kings  came  and  fought ; 
Then  fought  the  kings  of  Canaan, 

In  Taanach  by  the  waters  of  Megiddo : 
They  took  no  gain  of  money. 

20.  They  fought  from  heaven, 

The  stars  in  their  courses  fought  against  Sisera. 

21.  The  river  Kishon  swept  them  away, 

^  Or,  shore. 

taken  place.  The  mention  of  their  remaining  or,  better,  sojourning 
in  ships,  i.e.  dwelling  perhaps  among  seafaring  people,  shows  that 
the  Danites  had  already  then  become  in  some  way  closely  con- 
nected with  their  neighbors  the  Phoenicians.  The  tribe  of  Asher 
dwelt  immediately  adjacent  to  the  Phoenicians,  and  were  thus, 
like  Dan,  thought  of  as  having  contact  with  the  sea.  Neither  of 
these  two  distant  northern  tribes  nor  those  east  of  the  Jordan 
responded  to  the  call  to  assist  their  kinsmen. 

18.  In  striking  contrast  with  the  unresponsive  tribes  just  men- 
tioned were  Zebulun  and  Naphtali.  The  mention  of  Naphtali 
here  is  against  its  substitution  for  Issachar  in  v.  15  (see  above). 

19.  Kings  of  Canaan.  The  unsubdued  Canaanite  cities,  of 
which  there  were  many  (cf.  chap,  i),  were  generally  ruled  each  by 
its  own  king.  These  kings  were  united  under  Sisera  against  Israel. 
In  Taanach.  The  battle  was  in  the  plain  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity of  Taanak,  near  the  streams  adjoining  Megiddo  (cf.  i  :  27). 

20.  A  poetical  description  of  the  intervention  of  Jehovah  in 
a  powerful  rain  storm  which  brought  disaster  upon  the  enemy 
(v.  21).  A  rain  storm  signally  assisted  the  English  at  the  battle 
of  Cr6cy. 

21.  Klishon.    The  second  river  of  Palestine,  some  thirty-five 

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That  ancient  river,  the  river  Kishon. 
O  my  soul,  ^  march  on  with  strength. 

22.  Then  did  the  horsehoofs  stamp 

By  reason  of  the  pransings,  the  pransings  of  their 
strong  ones. 

23.  Curse  ye  Meroz,  said  the  angel  of  the  Lord, 
Curse  ye  bitterly  the  inhabitants  thereof ; 
Because  they  came  not  to  the  help  of  the  Lord, 
To  the  help  of  the  Lord  ^  against  the  mighty. 

^  Or,  thou  hast  trodden  down  strength.  ^  Or,  among. 

miles  in  length,  which  drains  the  plain  of  Esdraelon.  In  summer 
it  is  an  insignificant  stream,  but  in  winter  it  overflows  the  surround- 
ing country,  turning  it  into  a  morass.  This  is  evidently  what 
happened  through  a  rain  storm  at  the  time  of  the  battle.  The 
rising  waters  impeded  the  chariots  of  the  Canaanites  and  the 
army  became  panic-stricken  before  the  fierce  attack  of  the  He- 
brews ;  and  many  soldiers  while  fleeing  lost  their  lives  in  the  swollen 
stream.  "  The  fate  of  Sisera's  army  finds  a  parallel  in  the  battle 
between  the  French  and  Turks,  near  Tabor,  on  April  16,  1799, 
when  many  of  the  latter  were  drowned  in  attempting  to  pass  the 
morass  in  their  flight."  Ancient.  The  word  thus  rendered  is  of 
very  doubtful  meaning,  and  no  certain  one  can  be  given.  O  my 
soul,  etc.  An  expression  of  the  intense  exultation  of  the  poet  at 
the  thought  of  the  great  victory.  But  it  seems  to  many  out  of 
place  here,  and  the  line  is  usually  regarded  as  corrupt,  and  fre- 
quently left  untranslated. 

22.  Pransings.  Better,  galloping.  The  verse  is  descriptive  of 
the  confusion  of  the  chariot  corps  in  their  flight.     Cf.  Nah.  3  :  2  f . 

23.  The  emphasis  placed  upon  the  failure  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Meroz  to  render  assistance  and  the  position  of  the  curse  in  the 
poem  shows  that  the  reference  is  not  to  a  non-participation  like 
that  mentioned  in  vv.  isb-iy,  but  something  more  blameworthy. 
The  juxtaposition  with  the  blessing  of  Jael  to  which  the  curse  is 
a  foil  suggests  that  the  people  of  Meroz  allowed  fugitives  to  es- 
cape, perhaps  Sisera.  The  location  of  Meroz  is  entirely  unknown. 
Angel  of  the  Lord.     Cf.  2:1.     Against  the  mighty.     Better  is 

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24.  Blessed  ^  above  women  shall  Jael  be, 
The  wife  of  Heber  the  Kenite, 

Blessed  shall  she  be  ^  above  women  in  the  tent. 

25.  He  asked  water,  and  she  gave  him  milk ; 
She  brought  him  butter  in  a  lordly  dish. 

26.  She  put  her  hand  to  the  ^  nail. 

And  her  right  hand  to  the  workmen's  hammer ; 
And  with  the  hammer  she  smote  Sisera,  she  smote 

through  his  head, 
Yea,  she  pierced  and  struck  through  his  temples. 

27.  At  her  feet  he  bowed,  he  fell,  he  lay : 
At  her  feet  he  bowed,  he  fell : 

Where  he  bowed,  there  he  fell  down  ^  dead. 

1  Or,  of.  2  Or,  tent-pin.  ^  Or,  overpowered. 

the  marginal  reading  among  the  mighty.     The  enemy  would  not 
have  been  distinguished  with  the  epithet  mighty. 

24.  The  wife  of  Heber  the  Kenite.  These  explanatory  words 
are  regarded  by  many  as  a  gloss  derived  from  4:17.  They 
interrupt  the  Hebrew  parallelism.  Women  in  the  tent.  Tent- 
dwelling,  Bedouin  women. 

25.  Butter.  Curdled  milk,  parallel  with  milk  in  the  previous 
line.  Cf.  4:  19.  Lordly  dish.  Literally  a  dish  of  nobles,  i.e.  a 
large  fine  dish. 

26.  This  verse  must  be  interpreted  poetically.  Jael  struck 
Sisera  either  with  a  heavy  tent-pin  or  a  heavy  hammer  or  mallet. 
The  word  is  different  from  that  in  4  :  21,  but  it  may  have  been  the 
same  utensil.  In  the  next  line  Sisera  is  a  gloss.  The  two  lines 
may  be  rendered, 

She  smote,  crushed  his  head, 
Shattered,  pierced  his  temple. 

He  was  standing  when  she  struck  him. 

27.  Descriptive  of  how  "  Sisera  went  down  on  his  knees,  fell 
prostrate,  and  lay  there  dead." 

F  6s  "^ 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


28.  Through  the  window  she  looked  forth,  and  cried, 
The  mother  of  Sisera  cried  through  the  lattice, 
Why  is  his  chariot  so  long  in  coming  ? 

Why  tarry  the  ^  wheels  of  his  chariots  ? 

29.  Her  wise  ladies  answered  her, 

2  Yea,  she  returned  answer  to  herself, 

30.  Have  they  not  found,  have  they  not  divided  the  spoil  ? 
A  damsel,  two  damsels  to  every  man ; 

To  Sisera  a  spoil  of  ^  divers  colours, 
A  spoil  of  ^  divers  colours  of  embroidery, 
Of  3  divers  colours  of  embroidery  on  both  sides,  on 
the  necks  of  the  spoil  ? 

1  Heb.  steps.  2  Qr,   (Yet  she  repeateth  her  words  unto  herself).         *  Or,  dyed 

garments. 

28-30.  The  poet  turns  from  this  scene,  to  show  us  Sisera's 
mother  anxiously  awaiting  her  son's  victorious  return. 

28.  Looked.  The  force  of  the  original  is  not  only  to  look,  but 
to  overhang.  The  verb  cried,  which  occurs  only  here,  is  a  word  of 
uncertain  root  meaning,  better  taken  as  a  synonym  of  look.  Lat- 
tice is  a  synonym  of  window.  His  chariot,  a  collective  noun,  his 
chariot  troop.  Wheels.  Marg.  steps,  the  sound  made  by  blows, 
here  the  hoof  beats  of  the  chariot  horses  for  which  the  mother  of 
Sisera  was  listening. 

Through  the  window  she  looked  forth  and  peered^ 
The  mother  of  Sisera  through  the  lattice  — 
Why  delays  his  chariot  troop  to  come? 
Why  tarry  the  sounds  of  his  chariots? 

29.  With  a  slight  change  in  the  first  word : 

The  wisest  of  her  princes  answers  her, 
Yea,  she  herself  repeats  her  words  to  herself. 
The  second  line  means  that  the  mother  of  Sisera  keeps  repeating 
to  herself  either  her  anxious  forebodings  or  the  consolation  of  the 
princes  given  in  v.  30. 

30.  Embroidery  on  both  sides.     Literally  two  pieces  of  varie- 

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31.   So  let  all  thine  enemies  perish,  O  Lord  : 

But  let  them  that  love  him  be  as  the  sun  when  he 

goeth  forth  in  his  might. 
And  the  land  had  rest  forty  years.  R'^ 

5.  Gideon  and  his  son  Abimelechj  Chaps,  6-9 

6.       And  the  children  of  Israel  did  that  which  was  evil  in  R^ 
the  sight  of  the  Lord  :  and  the  Lord  delivered  them 

gated  stuff.  On  the  necks  of  the  spoil.  The  text  gives  also 
for  the  neck  of  the  spoiler  or  by  the  change  of  a  single  letter  for  the 
neck  of  the  queen.  But  the  verse  seems  to  have  suffered  through 
the  repetitions  of  words  in  transcription.  It  probably  originally 
consisted  of  only  four  lines,  and,  removing  repeated  words  and  lit- 
erally translating  with  an  added  letter  giving  his  neck,  read, 

Are  they  not  finding,  dividing  the  spoils 
A  wench,  two  wenches  for  each  man? 
Spoil  of  dyed  stuffs  for  Sisera, 
A  variegated  piece  or  two  for  his  neck  ? 

31.  Them  that  love  him.  Better  after  the  Greek  and  Syriac 
versions,  them  that  love  thee.  The  possessive  his  with  might  arose 
probably  by  corruption.  But  let  thy  friends  he  as  the  sun  when  he 
riseth  in  might. 

The  section  dealing  with  Gideon  is  the  most  thrilling  of  all 
the  stories  of  Judges.  The  hero  Gideon  is  portrayed  in  fascinat- 
ing lines.  He  appears  as  an  humble  peasant  threshing  grain  in  a 
wine  vat,  and  is  visited  by  the  angel  of  Jehovah.  He  is  of 
marked  strength  and  courage,  and  also  of  human  doubt  and  hesi- 
tation. God  grants  him  wondrous  signs,  and  yet  he  is  a  hero  of 
faith ;  and  through  faith  as  well  as  stratagem  he  obtains  a  great 
victory.  For  sermonic  purposes  no  story  of  Judges  is  equal  to 
that  of  Gideon. 

The  narrative  is  long  and  complex,  composed  of  the  interlacings 
of  J  and  E,  with  later  annotations.  The  evidence  of  two  original 
stories  is  clear  when  we  compare  7  :  23-8  :  3  with  8 :  4-21.  Both 
passages  give  a  conclusion  of  the  war  against  Midian,  but  they 

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2.  into  the  hand  of  Midian  seven  years.  And  the  hand 
of  Midian  prevailed  against  Israel :  and  because  of  Mid- 
ian the  children  of  Israel  made  them  the  dens  which 
are  in  the  mountains,  and  the  caves,  and  the  strong 

3.  holds.  And  so  it  was,  when  Israel  had  sown,  that  the 
Midianites  came  up,  and  the  Amalekites,  and  the  chil- 

do  not  together  represent  one  continuous  narrative.  In  one, 
tribal  hosts  are  pursuing  the  Midianites  and  the  chiefs  of  Midian 
are  Oreb  and  Zeeb,  who  faU  into  the  hands  of  the  Ephraimites.  In 
the  other,  Gideon,  to  avenge  a  family  wrong,  with  three  hundred 
men,  apparently  of  his  own  clan  Abiezer,  is  pursuing  the  Midi- 
anites, and  the  kings  who  fall  into  his  hands  are  Zebah  and  Zal- 
munna.  These  differences  reveal  a  diversity  of  authorship  and 
provide  a  basis  for  expecting  evidences  of  two  united  and  edited 
narratives  in  the  account  of  the  events  previous  to  the  war. 

6  :  1-6.  This  account  opens  with  the  usual  Deuteronomic  intro- 
duction. Israel  sins  and  is  delivered  into  the  power  of  the  Midi- 
anites, who  overrun  all  the  land,  compelling  the  people  to  take 
refuge  in  caves  and  fastnesses.  This  oppression  is  described  so 
vividly  and  at  such  unusual  length  that  the  Deuteronomic  author 
not  unlikely  found  some  such  description  in  his  source  JE. 

I.  The  usual  formula  of  the  Deuteronomic  author.  Midian. 
An  Arab  tribe  reckoned  as  a  son  of  Abraham  by  Keturah, 
Gen.  25  :  1-6.  Of  it  were  the  merchantmen  who  kidnaped  Joseph, 
Gen.  37 :  28 ;  and  Jethro,  the  father-in-law  of  Moses,  Exod. 
2 :  15-21.  A  town  of  the  name  Midian,  according  to  the  ancient 
geographer  Ptolemy,  was  on  the  side  of  the  Gulf  of  Akabah,  oppo- 
site the  traditional  site  of  Sinai.  This  would  indicate  the  principal 
settled  home  of  the  tribe,  but  from  the  Old  Testament  references 
the  tribe  was  largely  nomadic,  frequenting  the  Sinaitic  peninsula 
and  the  territory  to  the  northeast,  including  even  that  of  Moab.  In 
8  :  24  they  are  called  Ishmaelites. 

2.  Dens.  Hiding-places.  The  word  is  of  uncertain  deriva- 
tion. 

3.  When  Israel  had  sown.  The  invasion  was  not  for  per- 
manent conquest,  but  only  for  plunder.  The  Amalekites.  See 
3:13.     The  children  of  the  east.     A  term  used  frequently  of  the 

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4.  dren  of  the  east ;  they  came  up  against  them ;  and  they 
encamped  against  them,  and  destroyed  the  increase  of 
the  earth,  till  thou  come  unto  Gaza,  and  left  no  sus- 

5.  tenance  in  Israel,  neither  sheep,  nor  ox,  nor  ass.  For 
they  came  up  with  their  cattle  and  their  tents,  they 
came  in  as  locusts  for  multitude ;  both  they  and  their 
camels  were  without  number :  and  they  came  into  the 

6.  land  to  destroy  it.  And  Israel  was  brought  very  low 
because  of  Midian ;  and  the  children  of  Israel  cried 
unto  the  Lord. 

7.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  children  of  Israel  cried  E^ 

8.  unto  the  Lord  because  of  Midian,  that  the  Lord  sent 
a  prophet  unto  the  children  of  Israel:  and  he  said 
unto  them.  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel, 
I  brought   you  up  from   Egypt,  and   brought  you 

9.  forth  out  of  the  house  of  bondage ;  and  I  delivered 
you  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Eg3^tians,  and  out  of 

Bedouin  or  pastoral  people  to  the  east  and  northeast  of  Palestine, 
V.  33;  7:  12;  8:  10;  Gen.  29 :  i ;  Job  1:3;  i  Kgs.  4:  30;  Isa. 
11:14;  Jer.  49:28;   Ezek.  25  :  4,10. 

4.  Gaza.  The  most  southerly  of  the  Philistine  cities,  men- 
tioned to  show  the  wide  extent  of  the  devastation. 

7-10.  This  admonition  is  so  diflferent  from  the  usual  writing  of 
the  Deuteronomic  school  that,  as  mentioned,  it  came  from  another 
writer  than  the  author  of  the  preceding  verses,  either  E'  given  above, 
or  a  late  annotator.  The  abrupt  appearance  of  a  prophet  sug- 
gests the  latter  ;  but  its  incompleteness,  lacking  a  positive  accusa- 
tion, and  the  affinity  with  Josh.  24:1-15;  i  Sam.  7:8;  10: 
18  f . ;  12  (all  E  passages),  and  its  appropriate  connection  with 
vv.  25-32  as  its  sequel  argue  for  a  quotation  rather  than  an 
annotation. 

8-10.  I  brought  you,  etc.  The  redemption  from  Egypt  and 
from  those  who  hindered  the  settlement  of  Israel  in  Canaan  is 
given  as  the  ground  of  the  obligation  to  serve  Jehovah  only. 

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the  hand  of  all  that  oppressed  you,  and  drave  them 
out  from  before  you,  and  gave  you  their  land; 
10.  and  I  said  unto  you,  I  am  the  Lord  your  God;  ye 
shall  not  fear  the  gods  of  the  Amorites,  in  whose  land 
ye  dwell:  but  ye  have  not  hearkened  unto  my  voice. 
J  II.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  came,  and  sat  under  the 
1  oak  which  was  in  Ophrah,  that  pertained  unto  Joash 
the  Abiezrite:  and  his  son  Gideon  was  beating  out 
wheat  in  the  winepress,  to  hide  it  from  the  Midianites. 

1  Or,  terebinth. 

The  former  thought  is  expressed  in  the  preface  to  the  ten  com- 
mandments, Exod.  2o :  2  f .  Cf.  also  2:1;  i  Sam.  10:  18;  Hos. 
13  :  4.     Amorites.     See  i :  34. 

11-24.  The  call  of  Gideon  is  through  an  unrecognized  angel  of 
Jehovah  with  whom  Gideon  converses  somewhat  at  length,  and 
as  he  offers  his  divine  guest  a  meal,  the  angel  turns  it  into  a 
sacrifice  consumed  by  fire  issuing  from  the  rock.  Gideon  then 
knows  that  his  visitor  is  divine  and  fears  for  his  life,  but  re- 
ceives the  assurance  that  he  will  not  die  and  erects  then  an 
altar  unto  Jehovah.  This  narrative  came  from  the  school  of 
J.  To  that  school  belong  stories  of  similar  manifestations  of 
deity  in  a  human  form,  such  as  the  appearance  of  the  angel 
of  Jehovah  to  Hagar  (Gen.  16 :  7-14) ;  of  the  three  men  who 
represent  Jehovah  to  Abram  (Gen.  18:  1-15) ;  of  the  angels  who 
rescued  Lot  (Gen.  19 :  1-28) ;  of  the  divine  man  who  wrestled 
with  Jacob  (Gen.  32  :  23-33)  ;  of  the  divine  captain  who  appeared 
unto  Joshua.  The  story  of  the  annunciation  of  the  birth  of 
Samson  (Judg.  13  :  3),  where  likewise  the  angel  of  Jehovah  appears, 
belongs  also  to  the  same  source. 

II.  The  angel  of  the  Lord.  See  2:1.  The  oak.  A  sacred 
tree  (see  4:5)  in  Ophrah  known  to  the  writer.  This  tree  be- 
longed to  Joash.  Ophrah.  Exact  site  unknown,  from  the  story 
of  chap.  9  evidently  not  far  from  Shechem.  The  Abiezrite.  Of 
the  clan  of  Abiezer  which  belonged  to  Manasseh,  v.  15;  Num. 
26:30;    Josh.  17:2.     In  the  winepress.     Instead  of  threshing 

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12.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him,  and  said 
unto  him,  The  Lord  is  with  thee,  thou  mighty  man 

13.  of  valour.  And  Gideon  said  unto  him.  Oh  my  lord, 
if  the  Lord  be  with  us,  why  then  is  all  this  befallen  us  ? 
and  where  be  all  his  wondrous  works  which  our  fathers 
told  us  of,  saying.  Did  not  the  Lord  bring  us  up  from 
Egypt?   but  now  the  Lord  hath  cast  us  off,  and  de- 

14.  livered  us  into  the  hand  of  Midian.  And  the  Lord 
1  looked  upon  him,  and  said,  Go  in  this  thy  might,  and 
save  Israel  from  the  hand  of  Midian:    have  not  I 

15.  sent  thee?  And  he  said  unto  him,  Oh  Lord,  where- 
with shall  I  save  Israel  ?  behold,  my  ^  family  is  the 
poorest  in  Manasseh,  and  I  am  the  least  in  my  father's 

16.  house.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Surely  I  will 
be  with  thee,  and  thou  shalt  smite  the  Midianites  as 

17.  one  man.     And  he  said  unto  him.  If  now  I  have  found 

1  Or,  turned  towards.  ^  Heb.  thousand. 

the  wheat  on  the  usual  exposed  place,  where  the  wind  would 
carry  off  the  chaff,  Gideon  beat  his  sheaves  in  the  wine  vat  — 
the  rock-hewn  receptacle  in  the  vineyard  and  thus  secluded. 

13.  Gideon  repudiates  the  salutation  of  the  angel  that 
Jehovah  is  with  him.  That  thought  appears  unreasonable  in 
view  of  the  present  distress. 

14.  And  the  Lord  (Jehovah)  looked  upon  him.  The  angel  or 
messenger  is  here  directly  identified  with  Jehovah.  In  this  thy 
might.  Gideon's  strength.  In  v.  12  he  is  addressed  as  a  mighty 
man  of  valour,  i.e.  a  stalwart  hero.  We  are  to  think  of  Gideon  mak- 
ing an  impression  upon  the  angel  through  his  physique. 

1$.  Similar  self-depreciation  appears  in  the  story  of  Moses, 
Exod.  3:11;  4:10;  6:12;  and  of  Saul,  i  Sam.  9:21.  Such 
protestations  must  not  be  taken  too  literally.  The  subsequent 
narrative  shows  that  Gideon's  family  was  neither  an  obscure  one 
nor  he  a  mean  person. 

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RJE  grace  in  thy  sight,  then  shew  me  a  sign  that  it  is  thou 

J  1 8.  that  talkest  with  me.  Depart  not  hence,  I  pray  thee, 
until  I  come  unto  thee,  and  bring  forth  my  ^  present, 
and  lay  it  before  thee.  And  he  said,  I  will  tarry  until 
19.  thou  come  again.  And  Gideon  went  in,  and  made 
ready  a  kid,  and  imleavened  cakes  of  an  ephah  of 
meal:  the  flesh  he  put  in  a  basket,  and  he  put  the 
broth  in  a  pot,  and  brought  it  out  unto  him  under  the 

RJE  20.  2  oak,  and  presented  it.  And  the  angel  of  God  said 
unto  him,  Take  the  flesh  and  the  unleavened  cakes, 
and  lay  them  upon  this  rock,  and  pour  out  the  broth. 
J  21.  And  he  did  so.  Then  the  angel  of  the  Lord  put  forth 
the  end  of  the  staff  that  was  in  his  hand,  and  touched 
the  flesh  and  the  unleavened  cakes;  and  there  went 
up  fire  out  of  the  rock,  and  consumed  the  flesh  and  the 

R^  unleavened  cakes ;  and  the  angel  of  the  Lord  departed 

1  Or,  ojering.  '  Or,  terebinth. 

1 7.  Then  shew  me  a  sign,  etc.  These  words,  implying  that  the 
visitor  is  a  supernatural  being,  anticipate  vv.  21  f.  and  hence  are  to 
be  considered  as  a  gloss.    The  narrative  is  improved  by  their  omission. 

19.  Cf.  Abraham's  preparation  for  the  entertainment  of  his 
similar  guests,  Gen.  18 :  6-8.  Unleavened.  Because  prepared 
so  quickly.  An  ephah.  This  measure,  approximately  a  bushel, 
must  be  taken  like  our  indefinite  word  quantity.  The  cakes  were 
abundant,  matching  the  supply  of  meat  represented  in  the  kid. 

20.  Angel  of  God.  This,  instead  of  angel  of  Jehovah  as  else- 
where in  the  narrative,  suggests  that  the  verse  is  an  insertion 
introduced  by  some  one  who  would  make  of  the  presentation  of  the 
repast  a  formal  sacrifice.  Its  omission  does  not  mar  the  narrative. 
The  pouring  of  the  broth,  like  the  barrels  of  water  poured  on 
the  sacrifice  of  Elijah  on  Mt.  Carmel  (i  Kgs.  18  :  33-35),  heightens 
the  miracle  of  the  fire,  v.  20. 

21.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  departed  out  of  his  sight.    These 

72 


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22.  out  of  his  sight.  And  Gideon  saw  that  he  was  the 
angel  of  the  Lord;  and  Gideon  said,  Alas,  0  Lord 
Gk)D  !  forasmuch  as  I  have  seen  the  angel  of  the  Lord 

23.  face  to  face.    And  the  Lord  said  unto  him.  Peace  be 

24.  unto  thee;  fear  not:  thou  shalt  not  die.  Then 
Gideon  built  an  altar  there  unto  the  Lord,  and  called 
it  ^ Jehovah-shalom :  unto  this  day  it  is  yet  in  Ophrah 
of  the  Abiezrites. 

1  That  is,  The  LORD  is  peace. 

words  are  another  gloss  derived  from  13  :  20.     The  angel  still 
remained,  for  Gideon  addresses  him  in  the  next  verse. 

22.  O  Lord  God,  lit.  O  Lord  Jehovah.  Gideon  now  recognizes 
the  angel  as  Jehovah  and  addresses  him  thus  directly.  Cf. 
the  use  of  Jehovah  in  vv.  14,  16.  Gideon  feared  for  his  life  because 
the  Hebrew  notion  was  that  no  man  could  see  God  and  live. 
Cf.  13  :  22  ;    Gen.  16  :  13 ;   32  :  30 ;   Exod.  33  :  20;  Isa.  6  :  5. 

24.  Built  an  altar,  etc.  The  statement  of  this  verse  properly 
concludes  the  story  of  Gideon's  call  through  the  angel.  At  the 
time  when  the  story  was  written  there  was  an  altar  at  Ophrah 
bearing  the  name  of  Jehovah-shalom,  Jehovah  is  peace,  i.e.  well 
disposed.  Whether  Gideon  had  anything  historically  to  do 
with  its  origin,  whether  he  really  felt  himself  thus  called  by  an 
angel  even  as  Joan  of  Arc  did  by  the  Virgin,  or  whether  the  story 
was  a  tale  that  grew  up  in  connection  with  the  altar  to  account  for 
its  existence  is  now  impossible  to  determine.  The  law  in  ancient 
Israel  was  that  altars  were  to  be  erected  to  Jehovah  in  every 
place  where  he  caused  his  name  to  be  remembered,  Exod. 
20 :  24.  A  remarkable  experience  might  then  give  rise  to 
a  place  of  worship  or  from  a  place  of  worship  might  arise 
a  story  of  a  remarkable  experience.  Probably  the  latter 
rather  than  the  former  occasioned  the  stories  connected 
with  the  sanctuaries  at  Bethel,  Gen.  28  :  11-22;  35  :  1-7,  9-15; 
Peniel,  Gen.  32:24-30;  Mahanaim,  Gen.  32:1-2;  Hebron, 
Gen.  13:  18;  Beersheba,  Gen.  21:  33.  Altars  bearing  memorial 
names  are  mentioned  in  Gen.  33:  20;    35  :  7 ;    Exod.  17:  15. 

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£2  25.       And  it  came  to  pass  the  same  night,  that  the  Lord 
said  unto  him,  Take  thy  father's  bullock,  ^even  the 

^  Or,  and. 


25-32.  After  his  call  Gideon  receives  at  night  from  Jehovah  a 
command  to  destroy  the  altar  of  Baal  and  he  does  so,  receiving 
through  the  incidents  of  the  act  the  name  Jerubbaal.  This  episode 
is  an  interlude  in  the  narrative.  Its  underlying  thought  is  that  the 
land  must  be  cleansed  from  Baal  worship  before  the  attack  upon 
the  enemies  can  begin.  That  this  section  is  not  an  immediate 
continuation  of  vv.  11-24  is  clear,  since  they  contain  a  command 
to  erect  an  altar  unto  Jehovah  (v.  26),  but  according  to  v.  24  an 
altar  had  just  been  erected.  The  command  also  to  destroy  the 
altar  of  Baal  (v.  25)  would  naturally  have  come  through  the  angel 
visitor  if  the  narratives  are  a  unit.  The  whole  tenor  of  vv.  25- 
32  is  not  that  of  J.  In  v.  11  the  holy  tree  of  Ophrah  on  the  land 
of  Joash  is  the  sacred  spot  on  which  Jehovah  appears,  and  there 
is  no  intimation  that  the  people  are  engaged  in  wrong  or  idola- 
trous worship  for  which  calamities  have  befallen  them.  It  is 
a  story  of  the  people  oppressed  by  Midian  without  its  cause  being 
revealed  and  Gideon  summoned  to  be  their  deliverer.  On  the 
other  hand,  these  verses  logically  follow  vv.  7-10.  The  warning 
of  the  prophet  addressed  to  the  people  as  a  whole  naturally 
prepares  the  way  for  the  specific  revelation  given  to  Gideon. 
In  its  original  and  complete  form  the  admonition  doubtless  ter- 
minated with  an  upbraiding  for  the  worship  of  Baal  and  a  declara- 
tion that  for  this  the  people  had  been  delivered  into  the  hands  of 
their  enemies,  and  hence  the  first  step  in  any  restoration  to  divine 
favor  and  in  any  deliverance  must  come  through  the  abolition 
of  Baal  worship. 

25.  The  same  night.  In  the  present  connection  the  night 
following  the  interview  with  the  angel,  but  originally  it  was 
the  night  following  the  prophet's  warning  (see  above).  Thy 
father's  bullock,  even  the  second  bullock  of  seven  years  old. 
The  text  is  corrupt.  Some  read  thy  father's  fat  bullock  (fat 
taking  the  place  of  second,  in  Heb.  the  two  words  being  much 
alike)  and  attempt  no  restoration  of  the  remaining  words. 
Others,  following  the  suggestion  of  v.  27  and  omitting  the  word 

74 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


second  bullock  of  seven  years  old,  and  throw  down  the 
altar  of  Baal  that  thy  father  hath,  and  cut  down  the 

26.  Asherah  that  is  ^by  it:  and  build  an  altar  unto  the 
Lord  thy  God  upon  the  top  of  this  strong  hold,  ^  in 
the  orderly  manner,  and  take  the  second  bullock,  and 
offer  a  burnt  offering  with  the  wood  of  the  Asherah 

27.  which  thou  shalt  cut  down.  Then  Gideon  took  ten 
men  of  his  servants,  and  did  as  the  Lord  had  spoken 
unto  him :  and  it  came  to  pass,  because  he  feared  his 
father's  household  and  the  men  of  the  city,  so  that  he 

28.  could  not  do  it  by  day,  that  he  did  it  by  night.  And 
when  the  men  of  the  city  arose  early  in  the  morning, 
behold,  the  altar  of  Baal  was  broken  down,  and  the 
Asherah  was  cut  down  that  was  ^  by  it,  and  the  second 
bullock  was  offered  upon  the  altar  that  was  built. 

29.  And  they  said  one  to  another.  Who  hath  done  this 
thing?  And  when  they  inquired  and  asked,  they 
said,  Gideon  the  son  of  Joash  hath  done  this  thing. 

30.  Then  the  men  of  the  city  said  unto  Joash,  Bring  out 

^  Or,  upon.  2  Or,  with  that  pertaining  to  it.  *  Or,  upon. 

second,  which  is  wanting  in  the  Greek  translation,  read  ten  men 
of  thy  servants  and  a  bullock  seven  years  old.  No  reason,  however, 
can  be  given  for  the  command  to  take  a  seven-year-old  bullock. 
And  throw  down  the  altar  of  Baal  that  thy  father  hath.  The 
altar  belonged  to  the  town  (vv.  28  Q.).  Joash,  Gideon's  father, 
was  its  custodian.  Baal  represents  a  Canaanite  or  foreign 
god  and  the  Asherah  the  wooden  pillar  which  customarily  stood 
by  the  altar  of  a  Baal  (see  3:7). 

26.  Upon  the  top  of  this  strong  hold.  The  altar  is  to  be 
erected  in  a  new  place  upon  a  hilltop.  In  the  orderly  man- 
ner. Either  a  corruption  or  a  technical  term  not  understood : 
some  interpret  with  orderly  layers  of  stone.     The  second  bul- 

75 


31  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


thy  son,  that  he  may  die:   because  he  hath  broken 
down  the  altar  of  Baal,  and  because  he  hath  cut  down 

31.  the  Asherah  that  was  ^  by  it.  And  Joash  said  unto 
all  that  stood  against  him,  Will  ye  plead  for  Baal  ? 

R  or  will  ye  save  him  ?  he  that  will  plead  for  him,  2  let 

£2  him  be  put  to  death  ^  whilst  it  is  yet  morning :   if  he 

be  a  god,  let  him  plead  for  himself,  because  one  hath 

32.  broken  down  his  altar.  Therefore  on  that  day  he 
called  him  ^Jerubbaal,  saying,  Let  Baal  plead  against 
him,  because  he  hath  broken  down  his  altar. 

^  Or,  upon.       '  Or,  shall  be  put  to  death;  let  be  till  morning;  if  fe'c.       '  Or,  before 
morning.        *  That  is,  Let  Baal  plead.  • 

lock.  Again  the  word  second  is  to  be  omitted  or  read  fat.  The 
offering  was  one  of  consecration,  dedicating  the  new  altar  to 
Jehovah. 

31.  Will  ye  plead  for  Baal?  or  will  ye  save  him?  I.e.  will  ye 
take  up  his  quarrel?  or  will  ye  vindicate  him?  Immediately 
following  these  questions  of  Joash  were  originally  the  words  :  //  he 
be  a  god  let  him  plead  for  himself.  Joash  would  rescue  Gideon  by 
the  proposal,  "  Leave  the  guilty  one  to  suffer  divine  vengeance." 
The  writer,  however,  meant  his  words  to  be  taken  in  irony,  im- 
plying that  Baal  was  no  god,  cf.  i  Kgs.  18:21-39.  The  in- 
tervening words  He  that  will  .  .  .  morning,  are  an  interruption 
and  a  gloss  by  some  one  who  felt  that  an  advocate  of  Baal  either 
that  morning  or  the  morning  of  the  following  day  should  be  put 
to  death  (cf.  Deut.  13  :  6-1 1). 

32.  This  verse  explains  the  meaning  of  Gideon's  name,  Je- 
rubbaal,  to  wit,  Let  Baal  contend,  as  though  a  name  of  defiance 
against  Baal  and  connected  with  the  destruction  of  his  altar. 
This  whole  story  of  the  destruction  of  the  altar  of  Baal,  however, 
we  have  seen  is  late  and  of  a  religious  motive  and  thus  without 
historic  foundation.  Jerubbaal,  however,  was  a  name  of  Gideon, 
8:  29,  35;  9:  I,  16.  Why  he  bore  it  is  unknown.  Its  meaning 
is  either  Baal  pleads,  i.e.  contends  for  one,  or  Baal  founds;  and 
Baal  meaning  Lord  was  in  early  times  in  Israel  the  equivalent 

76 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


33.  Then  all  the  Midianites  and  the  Amalekites  and  the  E 
children  of  the  east  assembled  themselves  together; 
and  they  passed  over,  and  pitched  in  the  valley  of 

34.  Jezreel.    But  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  ^  came  upon  J 
Gideon;    and  he  blew  a  trumpet;    and  Abiezer  was 

35.  gathered  together  after  him.    And  he  sent  messengers  rJe 
throughout  all  Manasseh ;  and  they  also  were  gathered 
together  after  him:    and  he  sent  messengers  unto  rp 
Asher,  and  unto  Zebulun,  and  unto  Naphtali;    and 

36.  they  came  up  to  meet  them.    And  Gideon  said  unto  E 

1  Heb.  clothed  itself  with. 

of  Jehovah.  Such  names  compounded  with  Baal  were  then  not 
unusual.  Eshhaal,  Merih-haal,  were  the  names  of  son  and  grandson 
of  Saul,  I  Chron.  8  :  33  f.,  9  :  39  f. ;  Beeljada  (Baal-iada),  of  a  son 
of  David,  i  Chron.  14:7.  Elsewhere  Bosheth,  meaning  shame, 
and  El,  meaning  god,  are  substituted  for  Baal  in  these  names, 
2  Sam.  2:8;  4:4;  5:16.  This  was  because  Baal  gradually 
ceased  to  be  used  of  Jehovah,  but  only  of  heathen  deities  (cf. 

3:7). 

Vv.  33-35  represent  several  sources,  v.  33  belonging  in  the 
main  to  E,  v.  34  to  J,  and  v.  35  to  RJ^  and  R^. 

33.  Cf,  vv.  I  f.  Passed  over.  Crossed  the  Jordan.  Valley  of 
Jezreel.  The  broad  deep  vale  east  of  Jezreel  which  descends  to  the 
Jordan,  the  natural  gateway  from  the  Jordan  into  the  fertile  plain 
of  Esdraelon. 

34.  For  the  endowment  of  Gideon  with  the  Spirit,  cf.  3  :  10. 
The  clan  Abiezer  follows  him,  cf.  v.  11.  This  is  agreeable  to  the 
narrative  of  J,  see  above  and  8 :  3. 

35.  Manasseh.  West  Manasseh  is  meant.  The  second  half 
of  this  verse  anticipates  7 :  23,  and  hence  is  probably  an  editor's 
gloss. 

36-40.  Gideon  asks  that  his  call  may  be  proved  by  the  miracles 
of  a  wet  and  a  dry  fleece.  From  the  use  of  God  instead  of 
Jehovah  (vv.  36,  39  f.)  this  section  cannot  have  come  from  J, 
hence  it  may  be  assigned  to  E. 

77 


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God,  If  thou  wilt  save  Israel  by  mine  hand,  as  thou 

37.  hast  spoken,  behold,  I  will  put  a  fleece  of  wool  on  the 
threshing-floor ;  if  there  be  dew  on  the  fleece  only,  and 
it  be  dry  upon  all  the  ground,  then  shall  I  know  that 
thou  wilt  save  Israel   by  mine  hand,  as  thou   hast 

38.  spoken.  And  it  was  so :  for  he  rose  up  early  on  the 
morrow,  and  pressed  the  fleece  together,  and  wringed 

39.  the  dew  out  of  the  fleece,  a  bowlful  of  water.  And 
Gideon  said  unto  God,  Let  not  thine  anger  be  kindled 
against  me,  and  I  will  speak  but  this  once:  let  me 
prove,  I  pray  thee,  but  this  once  with  the  fleece ;  let 
it  be  now  be  dry  only  upon  the  fleece,  and  upon  all 

40.  the  ground  let  there  be  dew.  And  God  did  so  that 
night :  for  it  was  dry  upon  the  fleece  only,  and  there 
was  dew  on  all  the  ground. 

RJE     7.       Then  Jerubbaal,  who  is  Gideon,  and  all  the  people 
that  were  with  him,  rose  up  early,  and  pitched  beside  the 

36.  As  thou  hast  spoken.  This  cannot  originally  have  re- 
ferred to  the  visit  of  the  angel  of  Jehovah  (vv.  11-24),  because 
in  these  verses  (36-40)  the  name  of  deity  throughout  is  God. 
Gideon  also  after  the  wondrous  sign  of  the  fire,  whereby  he  knew 
that  Jehovah  had  directly  spoken  to  him  (vv.  21-23)  would  not 
be  expected  to  ask  for  another  sign.  The  "speaking,"  then,  is 
one  not  preserved  in  our  story,  probably  according  to  the  manner 
of  E,  a  vision  of  the  night  for  which  was  substituted  the  admoni- 
tion of  the  prophet  and  the  night  call  of  Jehovah  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  altar  of  Baal  (see  above,  vv.  7-10,  25-32). 

37.  On  the  threshing-floor.  A  hard,  exposed  place  well  suited 
for  Gideon's  test. 

39.  Gideon  asks  that  the  test  may  be  repeated  in  a  reverse 
form,  as  though  perchance  the  gathering  of  the  dew  upon  the 
fleece  might  have  been  due  to  natural  causes. 

7  :  1-8.  Gideon  and  the  assembled  people  now  proceed  against 
the  Midianites,  but  Jehovah  tells   him  that  the  people   are  too 

78 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


spring  of  ^  Harod ;  and  the  camp  of  Midian  was  on  the 
north  side  of  them,  ^  by  the  hill  of  Moreh,  in  the  valley. 
And  the  Lord  said  unto  Gideon,  The  people  that  are 
with  thee  are  too  many  for  me  to  give  the  Midianites 
into  their  hand,  lest  Israel  vaunt  themselves  against 
me,  saying,  Mine  own  hand  hath  saved  me.  Now 
therefore  go  to,  proclaim  in  the  ears  of  the  people, 
saying.  Whosoever  is  fearful  and  trembling,  let  him 
return  and  ^  depart  from  mount  Gilead.     And  there 


1  That  is,  Tremhling.     See  v.  3.        ^  Qr,  from  the  hill  of  Moreh,  onwards  in  the 
valley.        ^  Or,  go  round  about. 


many  for  a  deliverance  through  them  not  to  occasion  self- 
pride,  and  Gideon  dismisses  all  who  are  faint-hearted  and 
more  than  two-thirds  return  home,  leaving  10,000  men.  But 
these,  Jehovah  says,  are  still  too  many,  and  they  are  reduced 
to  three  hundred  chosen  through  their  lapping  water 
like  a  dog.  With  these  Gideon  is  to  conquer  the  Midianites. 
As  this  narrative  now  stands  it  cannot  well  have  come  from  J 
or  E.  The  exaggerated  religious  motive  rules  the  former  out, 
and  the  use  of  Jehovah  militates  against  the  latter,  hence  scholars 
assign  it  to  an  editor. 

I.  The  spring  of  Harod.  Only  mentioned  here ;  usually  identi- 
fied with  ' Ain  Jalud  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Gilboa.  The  hill  of  Moreh. 
I.e.  the  hill  of  the  teacher  or  diviner,  hence  a  place  where  com- 
munications were  believed  to  be  received  from  God,  usually 
identified  with  Neby  Duhy,  about  four  miles  distant  from  the 
spring.  But  these  identifications  of  Harod  and  Moreh  are  un- 
certain. They  both  are  derived  from  the  statement  of  6 :  2,2>j 
that  the  Midianites  were  in  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  but  the  only 
Moreh  mentioned  elsewhere  is  in  the  neighborhood  of  Shechem, 
Gen.  12:6;  Deut.  11:30.  Hence  some  hold  that  this  verse 
represents  a  source  which  placed  the  camp  of  the  Midianites 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Shechem. 

3.  Whosoever  is  fearful  and  trembling.  The  dismissal  of 
such  is  according  to  the  law  of  Deut.  20 :  8.  Mount  Gilead.  The 

79 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


returned  of  the  people  twenty  and  two  thousand ;  and 
there  remained  ten  thousand. 

4.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Gideon,The  people  are  yettoo 
many ;  bring  them  down  unto  the  water,  and  I  will  try 
them  for  thee  there  :  and  it  shall  be,  that  of  whom  I  say 
unto  thee.  This  shall  go  with  thee,  the  same  shall  go  with 
thee ;  and  of  whomsoever  I  say  unto  thee,  This  shall 

5.  not  go  with  thee,  the  same  shall  not  go.  So  he  brought 
down  the  people  unto  the  water :  and  the  Lord  said  unto 
Gideon,  Every  one  that  lappeth  of  the  water  with  his 
tongue,  as  a  dog  lappeth,  him  shalt  thou  set  by  himself ; 
likewise  every  one  that  boweth  down  upon  his  knees  to 

6.  drink.  And  the  number  of  them  that  lapped,  putting 
their  hand  to  their  mouth,  was  three  hundred  men : 
but  all  the  rest  of  the  people  bowed  down  upon  their 

7.  knees  to  drink  water.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Gideon, 
By  the  three  hundred  men  that  lapped  will  I  save  you, 
and  deliver  the  Midianites  into  thine  hand :  and  let  all 


reading  Mount  Gilead  is  clearly  a  mistake,  since  it  represents  the 
district  of  Central  Palestine  east  of  the  Jordan.  Either  read 
Mount  Gilboa,  see  v.  i,  or  leave  untranslated  as  unintelligible. 

5.  The  modes  of  drinking  are  described:  first,  that  of  those 
who,  lying  prostrate,  put  their  mouths  directly  to  the  water  anc 
drink  like  a  dog ;  and  secondly,  those  who  kneel  and  raise  the  water 
in  their  hands  to  their  mouths. 

6.  Putting  their  hand  to  their  mouth.  These  words  are  either 
the  gloss  of  some  one  who  did  not  understand  the  passage,  and 
should  be  struck  out ;  or  they  belonged  originally  at  the  end  of 
the  verse. 

7.  Why  the  preference  was  given  to  the  men  who  lapped  is 
not  evident.  Perhaps  their  mode  of  drinking  was  that  of  rude, 
fierce  men,  hard  fighters.  The  name  of  Caleb  who  was  the  hard 
fighter  of  south  Judah  means  dog  (cf.  i :  20). 

80 


THE   BOOK   OF  JUDGES 


8.  the  people  go  every  man  unto  his  place.  ^  So  the  peo- 
ple took  victuals  in  their  hand,  and  their  trumpets  :  and 
he  sent  all  the  men  of  Israel  every  man  unto  his  tent, 
but  retained  the  three  hundred  men :  and  the  camp 
of  Midian  was  beneath  him  in  the  valley. 

9.  And  it  came  to  pass  the  same  night,  that  the  Lord  E 
said  unto  him.  Arise,  get  thee  down  ^  into  the  camp ; 

10.  for  I  have  delivered  it  into  thine  hand.  But  if  thou 
fear  to  go  down,  go  thou  with  Purah  thy  servant  down 

11.  to  the  camp :  and  thou  shalt  hear  what  they  say ;  and 
afterward  shall  thine  hands  be  strengthened  to  go 
down  2  into  the  camp.  Then  went  he  down  with 
Purah  his  servant  unto  the  outermost  part  of  the 

1  According  to  some  ancient  versions,  So  they  took  the  victuals  of  the   people. 
*  Or,  against. 


8.  So  the  people  took  victuals  in  their  hand,  and  their  trum- 
pets. With  slight  changes  in  the  Hebrew  word  rendered  victuals 
we  may  translate,  So  they  took  the  pitchers  of  the  people  in  their 
hands  and  their  trumpets.  This  explains  how  the  army  of  three 
hundred  had  so  many  pitchers  or  jars  and  trumpets  or  horns,  see 
vv.  16  ff.     They  took  those  of  the  people  who  went  home. 

9-15.  Gideon  in  spite  of  the  divine  command  is  afraid  to 
attack  at  once  the  Midianite  camp  and  hence,  likewise  by  divine 
command,  reconnoitres  the  camp  and  receives  a  sign  of  great  en- 
couragement in  overhearing  a  soldier's  dream  and  its  interpreta- 
tion.    This  use  of  the  dream  bears  the  mark  of  coming  from  E. 

9.  The  same  night.  As  the  narrative  now  stands  the  night 
immediately  following  the  selection  of  the  army  of  three  hundred. 
Arise,  get  thee  down  into  the  camp.  These  words,  as  the  follow- 
ing clause  shows,  are  a  command  to  attack  at  once  the  camp 
of  Midian. 

10.  But  if  Gideon  is  afraid  to  make  the  attack  at  once,  he  is  to 
go  down  with  his  servant  and  hear  the  talk  of  the  camp.  Thereby 
he  will  be  encouraged  and  strengthened  to  make  the  attack,  v.  11. 

G  81 


7  :  12  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


RJE   12.   armed  men  that  were  in  the  camp.     And  the  Midi- 

anites  and  the  Amalekites  and  all  the  children  of  the  east 

lay  along  in  the  valley  like  locusts  for  multitude ;  and 

E  their  camels  were  without  number,  as  the  sand  which 

13.  is  upon  the  sea  shore  for  multitude.  And  when  Gideon 
was  come,  behold,  there  was  a  man  that  told  a  dream 
unto  his  fellow,  and  said.  Behold,  I  dreamed  a  dream, 
and,  lo,  a  cake  of  barley  bread  tumbled  into  the  camp 
of  Midian,  and  came  unto  the  tent,  and  smote  it 
that  it  fell,  and  turned  it  upside  down,  that  the  tent 

14.  lay  along.  And  his  fellow  answered  and  said.  This  is 
nothing  else  save  the  sword  of  Gideon  the  son  of  Joash, 
a  man  of  Israel :  into  his  hand  God  hath  delivered 
Midian,  and  all  the  host. 

12.  This  verse  appears  like  an  editorial  annotation,  reflecting 
6:3,  5,  which  see. 

13.  Gideon's  encouragement  comes  through  hearing  a  dream 
and  its  interpretation.  Dreams  figure  very  largely  in  the  Old 
Testament  as  means  of  divine  revelation.  Compare  especially 
the  dreams  connected  with  the  story  of  Joseph,  Gen.  37:  5-10; 
40:  S-19;  41 :  1-32-  And,  lo,  a  cake  of  barley  bread  tumbled, 
etc.  The  dream  is  of  a  round,  hard,  flat  ash-cake  of  barley  meal, 
rolling  into  the  camp,  striking  a  tent,  and  overturning  it.  The 
words  that  it  fell  and  that  the  tent  lay  along  are  wanting  in  certain 
Greek  texts  and  should  be  struck  out.  Read  then,  and  came  unto 
the  tent  and  smote  it  and  turned  it  upside  down.  The  cake  of  barley 
bread  symbolizes  the  tillers  of  the  soil,  and  thus  the  men  of  Israel 
whose  land  was  being  plundered;  the  ten  symbolizes  the  nomad, 
and  thus  the  invader  the  Midianites. 

14.  This  verse  has  also  suffered  editorial  expansion.  Orig- 
inally it  read.  This  is  nothing  else  than  the  men  of  Israel,  into  their 
hand  God  hath  delivered  all  the  host.  A  specific  person  was  not 
referred  to  in  the  barley  loaf,  but  as  mentioned  a  social  class,  the 
agriculturists,  and  hence  the  men  of  Israel  and  not  their  leader. 
Kost.     Better  rendered  camp. 

82 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


15.  And  it  was  so,  when  Gideon  heard  the  telling  of 
the  dream,  and  the  interpretation  thereof,  that  he 
worshipped ;  and  he  returned  into  the  camp  of  Israel, 
and  said,  Arise;    for  the  Lord  hath  delivered  into 

16.  your  hand  the  host  of  Midian.     And  he  divided  the  JE 
three  hundred  men  into   three   companies,   and  he 
put  into  the  hands  of  all  of  them  trumpets,  and  empty 

17.  pitchers,  with  torches  within  the  pitchers.  And  he 
said  unto  them,  Look  on  me,  and  do  likewise :  and,  be- 
hold, when  I  come  to  the  outermost  part  of  the  camp, 

18.  it  shall  be  that,  as  I  do,  so  shall  ye  do.  When  I  blow 
the  triunpet,  I  and  all  that  are  with  me,  then  blow  ye 
the  trumpets  also  on  every  side  of  all  the  camp,  and 
say.  For  the  Lord  and  for  Gideon.  R^ 

16-22.  Gideon  makes  a  night  attack  whereby  the  Midianites, 
through  the  crashing  of  jars,  the  flashing  of  torches,  the  blowing 
of  trumpets,  and  shoutings,  become  panic-stricken,  slay  one  an- 
other, and  flee.  The  jars,  the  torches,  the  trumpets,  and  the 
shoutings  are  an  excessive  combination  and  suggest  the  union 
of  two  stories,  in  one  of  which  the  panic  was  caused  by  the 
crashing  jars  and  flashing  torches  and  war  cries  and  in  the  other 
by  the  trumpets  sounding  an  attack  in  the  darkness.  The  former 
is  assigned  to  E,  the  latter  to  J. 

16.  Three  companies.  Such  a  division  is  frequently  men- 
tioned in  connection  with  fighting,  9  :  43  ;  i  Sam.  1 1  :  1 1 ;  13  :  1 7  f . ; 
Job  1:17.  And  he  put  into  the  hands  of  all  of  them  trumpets 
(horns)  and  empty  pitchers  (jars)  with  torches  within  the  pitchers 
(jars).  This  combination  of  the  two  narratives  (see  above) 
makes  their  hands  more  than  full.  Two  hands  would  be  required 
to  convey  a  jar  containing  a  torch,  so  covered  as  to  keep  the  light 
invisible  and  yet  burning. 

18.  And  say,  For  the  Lord  and  for  Gideon.  An  editorial  note 
suggested  by  v.  20.  In  the  attack  in  which  the  noise  was  made  by 
blowing  the  trumpets  there  would  be  little  place  or  use  for  shout- 
ing. 

83 


19  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


JE  19.  So  Gideon,  and  the  hundred  men  that  were  with  him, 
came  unto  the  outermost  part  of  the  camp  in  the 
beginning  of  the  middle  watch,  when  they  had  but 
newly  set  the  watch:  and  they  blew  the  trumpets, 
and  brake  in  pieces  the  pitchers  that  were  in  their 

20.  hands.  And  the  three  companies  blew  the  trumpets, 
and  brake  the  pitchers,  and  held  the  torches  in  their 
left  hands,  and  the  trumpets  in  their  right  hands  to 
blow  withal :  and  they  cried,  ^  The  sword  of  the  Lord 

21.  and  of  Gideon.  And  they  stood  every  man  in  his 
place  round  about  the  camp:   and  all  the  host  ran; 

22.  and  they  shouted,  and  ^  put  them  to  flight.  And  they 
blew  the  three  hundred  trumpets,  and  the  Lord  set 
every  man's  sword  against  his  fellow,  and  against 
all  the  host :  and  the  host  fled  as  far  as  Beth-shittah 

1  Or,  A  sword  for  b'c.  *  Another  reading  is,  fled. 

20.  Again  the  combination  of  two  narratives  is  clear.  The 
sword.  Probably  an  insertion.  The  battle-cry  of  the  host  who 
broke  their  jars  and  waved  their  torches  was,  For  Jehovah  and 
for  Gideon. 

21.  And  they  stood  every  man  in  his  place  round  about  the 
camp.  The  attacking  force  did  not  advance,  but  remained  stand- 
ing either  blowing  the  trumpets  or  waving  the  torches  and  shout- 
ing. (The  statement  probably  belongs  to  the  narrative  of  the 
latter  strategy.)  The  remainder  of  the  verse  describes  the  action 
of  the  Midianites.  There  is  no  change  of  subject.  It  should  be 
rendered,  And  all  the  host  awoke  and  sent  tip  a  wild  cry  and  fled. 

22.  Such  a  panic  as  is  here  described,  in  which  the  men  of  a 
camp  or  army  attack  one  another,  appears  also  in  the  description 
of  the  rout  of  the  Philistines  by  Jonathan  and  his  armor-bearer, 
I  Sam.  14 :  20,  and  in  that  of  the  overthrow  of  the  hordes  which 
invaded  Judah  in  the  days  of  Jehoshaphat,  2  Chron.  20 :  23,  and 
in  prophetic  outlooks,  Ezek.  38:  21;  Hag.  2:  22;  Zech.  14:  13. 
Beth-shittah,  Zererah,  Abel-meholah,  and  Tabbath.     These  four 

84 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


toward  Zererah,  as  far  as  the  ^  border  of  Abel-meholah, 

23.  by  Tabbath.     And  the  men  of  Israel  were  gathered  E 
together  out  of  NaphtaU,  and  out  of  Asher,  and  out  R*^ 

24.  of  all  Manasseh,  and   pursued  after    Midian.     And  E 
Gideon  sent  messengers  throughout  all  the  hill  country 

of  Ephraim,  saying,  Come  down  against  Midian,  and 
take  before  them  the  waters,  as  far  as  Beth-barah, 
2  even  Jordan.  So  all  the  men  of  Ephraim  were 
gathered  together,   and  took  the  waters  as  far  as 


Heb.  lip.  2  Or,  arid  also. 


places,  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  flight,  have  not  been 
satisfactorily  identified.  They  were  probaby  on  the  road  into 
the  Jordan  valley,  either  from  the  plain  of  Jezreel  or  from  the 
vicinity  of  Shechem,  according  to  the  location  assigned  to  the 
camp  of  Midian  (see  v.  i),  or  the  places  were  in  the  valley  itself. 
Abel-meholah  is  frequently  placed  ten  miles  south  of  Beth-shean 
(see  1 :  27),  and  Zererah  has  been  thought  mis  written  for  Zeredah, 
the  same  as  Zarethan,  much  farther  south  in  the  valley  of  the  Jor- 
dan near  Adam,  Josh.  3:16,  modern  ed-Damieh,  where  the  main 
road  has  always  crossed  the  Jordan. 

23-25.  The  men  of  Naphtali,  Asher,  Manasseh,  and  Ephraim 
are  now  summoned  to  pursue  the  fleeing  Midianites,  and  the 
Ephraimites  slay  the  princes  of  Midian.  This  section  is  in  the 
main  from  E. 

23.  Naphtali  and  Asher.  The  appearance  of  these  two  tribes 
in  the  story  is  probably  due  to  some  late  annotator.  They  were 
too  distant  to  be  concerned  with  a  Bedouin  invasion  in  the  terri- 
tory of  Manasseh. 

24.  The  flight  of  the  marauders  southward  leads  them  into  the 
territory  Ephraim,  hence  the  men  of  that  tribe  are  summoned 
to  cut  off  their  retreat  by  seizing  the  waters,  i.e.  the  crossings  of 
any  stream.  The  one  particularly  referred  to  is  without  doubt 
the  Wady  Farah,  a  tributary  of  the  Jordan.  The  fords  of  the 
Jordan  may  also  have  been  meant.  The  location  of  Beth-barah 
is  unknown, 

85 


THE   BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


25.   Beth-barah,  ^  even  Jordan.     And  they  took  the  two 
princes  of  Midian,   Oreb  and  Zeeb;    and  they  slew 
Oreb  at  the  rock  of  Oreb,  and  Zeeb  they  slew  at  the 
RjE  winepress  of  Zeeb,  and  pursued  Midian:    and  they 

brought  the  heads  of  Oreb  and  Zeeb  to  Gideon  be- 
yond Jordan. 
E     8.       And  the  men  of  Ephraim  said  unto  him.  Why  hast 
thou  served  us  thus,  that  thou  calledst  us  not,  when 
thou  wentest  to  fight  with  Midian?    And  they  did 

2.  chide  with  him  sharply.  And  he  said  unto  them.  What 
have  I  now  done  in  comparison  of  you?  Is  not  the 
gleaning  of  the  grapes  of  Ephraim  better  than  the 

3.  vintage  of  Abiezer?     God  hath  delivered  into  your 

1  Or,  and  also. 

25.  The  rock  of  Oreb  and  the  winepress  of  Zeeb  were  two 
localities  whose  names  in  the  writer's  day  preserved  the  remem- 
brance of  the  places  where  the  princes  were  slain.  Their  location 
is  unknown.  The  rock  of  Oreb  is  mentioned  in  Isa.  10  :  26  and  the 
victory  over  Midian  in  Isa.  9:4;  Ps.  83:9-12.  Oreb  means 
"  raven,"  and  Zeeb,  "  wolf."  And  pursued  Midian.  These 
words  are  closely  connected  with  those  following  and  with  them 
are  an  editorial  note  inserted  to  bring  this  narrative  into  harmony 
with  that  of  8 :  4  ff. 

8  :  1-3.  Ephraim  was  the  leading  tribe  of  Northern  Israel  and 
always  very  jealous  of  its  rights.  A  similar  quarrel  is  related  in 
12:  1-6.  This  paragraph,  to  which  v.  29  belongs,  concludes  E's 
story  of  the  pursuit  of  Midian. 

I.  The  men  of  Ephraim  are  represented  as  angry  because  they 
had  not  participated  in  the  war  from  the  beginning.  The  idea 
doubtless  was  that  then  they  would  have  received  more  booty. 

2-3.  Gideon  cleverly  says  that  in  the  capture  of  the  princes 
of  Moab  the  Ephraimites  have  received  even  better  spoil  than  that 
which  fell  to  his  own  followers,  the  men  of  Abiezer,  who  began  the 
war. 

86 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


hand  the  princes  of  Midian,  Oreb  and  Zeeb  :  and  what 
was  I  able  to  do  in  comparison  of  you?  Then  their 
^  anger  was  abated  toward  him,  when  he  had  said  that. 

4.  And  Gideon  came  to  Jordan,  ^  and  passed  over,  he,  and 
the  three  hundred  men  that  were  with  him,  faint,  yet 

5.  pursuing.  And  he  said  unto  the  men  of  Succoth,  Give, 
I  pray  you,  loaves  of  bread  unto  the  people  that  follow 
me ;  for  they  be  faint,  and  I  am  pursuing  after  Zebah 

6.  and  Zalmunna,  the  kings  of  Midian.  And  the  princes 
of  Succoth  said.  Are  the  hands  of  Zebah  and  Zalmunna 
now  in  thine  hand,  that  we  should  give  bread  unto 


1  Heb.  spirit.  2  Or,  to  pass. 


4-21.  Gideon  with  three  hundred  men  pursues  the  Midianites. 
He  asks  food  for  his  wearied  host  of  the  towns  of  Succoth  and 
Penuel.  The  rulers  of  those  cities,  doubting  his  success,  refuse. 
Later  he  wreaks  upon  them  terrible  vengeance.  He  captures  the 
kings  of  Midian,  and  since  they  had  slain  his  brethren,  he  orders 
his  son  to  kill  them.  The  boy  is  unwilling  and  Gideon  slays  them 
himself.  Thus  the  war  is  ended.  This  conclusion,  as  mentioned, 
differs  so  widely  from  that  of  7  :  23-8 :  4,  that  it  must  come  from 
another  hand,  and  its  vivid  naturalness  points  at  once  to  J 
rather  than  E. 

4.  Three  hundred.  From  the  three  hundred  of  this  story 
probably  grew  the  legend  of  the  sifting  down  of  the  followers  of 
Gideon  to  that  number  (7  :  2-7). 

5.  Succoth.  The  location  is  uncertain;  usually  identified 
with  Tell  Deir  Alia,  east  of  the  Jordan  and  about  a  mile  north  of 
the  Jabbok.  Zebah  and  Zalmunna.  A  witticism  is  expressed  in 
these  names  as  vocalized  in  the  Hebrew  text ;  they  mean  "  vic- 
tim "  and  "  protection  refused."  This  is  a  reflection  of  their 
fate.  In  the  other  narrative  the  leaders  of  the  Midianites  are 
Oreb  and  Zeeb  (7  :  25). 

6.  Princes.  More  correctly  rendered  officials,  those  who 
held  military  or  civil  offices,  distinguished  thus  from  the  elders 
who  were' the  heads  of  families.     The  address  of  these  men  is 

87 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


7.  thine  army?  And  Gideon  said.  Therefore  when  the 
Lord  hath  dehvered  Zebah  and  Zalmunna  into  mine 
hand,  then  I  will  ^  tear  your  flesh  with  the  thorns  of  the 

8.  wilderness  and  with  briers.  And  he  went  up  thence  to 
Penuel,  and  spake  unto  them  in  like  manner :  and  the 
men  of  Penuel  answered  him  as  the  men  of  Succoth 

9.  had  answered.  And  he  spake  also  unto  the  men  of 
Penuel,  saying.  When  I  come  again  in  peace,  I  will 
break  down  this  tower. 

10.  Now  Zebah  and  Zalmunna  were  in  Karkor,  and 
R^          their  hosts  with  them,  about  fifteen  thousand  men,  all 

that  were  left  of  all  the  host  of  the  children  of  the 
east :  for  there  fell  an  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 

11.  men  that  drew  sword.     And  Gideon  went  up  by  the 
J          way  of  them  that  dwelt  in  tents  on  the  east  of  Nobah 

and  Jogbehah,  and  smote  the  host ;   for  the  host  was 

1  Heb.  thresh. 

quite  inconceivable  if  the  great  rout  of  the  Midianites  had 
already  taken  place.  In  this  narrative  (J)  the  rout  must  have 
occurred   later. 

7.  Then  will  I  tear,  etc.  A  fearful  punishment  is  threatened, 
see  V.  16. 

8.  Penuel.  The  town  associated  with  the  story  of  Jacob's 
wrestle  with  the  angel  (Gen.  32  :  24-30).  It  must  then  have  been 
near  the  Jabbok  and  evidently  was  not  far  from  Succoth,  but 
the  exact  site  is  uncertain. 

10.  The  location  of  Karkor  is  unknown.  One  hundred  and 
twenty  thousand.  This  great  number,  utterly  unhistorical,  is  a 
mark  of  an  annotation  by  a  writer  of  the  late  Priestly  school. 

11.  By  the  way  of  them  that  dwell  in  tents.  7. e.  by  a  caravan 
route,  leading  to  the  district  of  tent-dwelling  Arabs  east  of 
Nobah  and  Jogbehah.  The  former  of  these  names  appears  in 
Num.  32  :  42  as  that  of  a  clan  of  Manasseh,  which  gave  its  name 

88 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


12.  secure.  And  Zebah  and  Zalmunna  fled;  and  he 
pursued  after  them;  and  he  took  the  two  kings  of 
Midian,  Zebah  and  Zalmunna,  and  ^  discomfited  all 

13.  the  host.     And  Gideon  the  son  of  Joash  returned  from 

14.  the  battle  from  the  ascent  of  Heres.  And  he  caught 
a  young  man  of  the  men  of  Succoth,  and  inquired 
of  him :  and  he  ^  described  for  him  the  princes  of 
Succoth,  and  the  elders  thereof,  seventy  and  seven 

15.  men.  And  he  came  unto  the  men  of  Succoth,  and 
said,  Behold  Zebah  and  Zalmunna,  concerning  whom 
ye  did  taunt  me,  saying.  Are  the  hands  of  Zebah  and 
Zalmunna  now  in  thine  hand,  that  we  should  give 

*  Heb.  terrified.  ^  Or,  wrote  down. 

to  Kenath,  modern  Kanawat,  which  lies  far  to  the  northeast  of  Suc- 
coth and  Penuel,  and  need  have  no  connection  with  the  Nobah  here 
mentioned  which  then  remains  an  unknown  place.  Jogbehah  has 
been  identified  with  Khirbet  el-Gubeihat,  northwest  of  Rabbath  Am- 
nion and  not  far  from  the  river  Jabbok.  And  smote  the  host. 
In  this  connection  we  place  the  night  attack  with  jars  and  torches 
which  has  been  transferred  and  combined  with  the  other  account 
in  7  :  16-22.  For  the  host  was  secure.  The  camp  of  the  Midian- 
ites  rested  at  night  without  expecting  an  attack. 

13.  From  the  ascent  of  Heres.  This  phrase  is  of  uncertain 
meaning  in  the  Hebrew.  Accepting  the  translation  given  it 
may  imply  that  Gideon  returned  to  Succoth  by  some  unexpected 
route  in  order  to  surprise  the  town.  The  location  then  would  be 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Succoth. 

14.  He  described.  I.e.  wrote  down.  This  casual  mention  of 
writing  shows  that  when  this  story  was  written,  in  the  ninth 
century  B.C.,  the  art  of  writing  must  have  been  common  in 
Israel.     The  princes  .  .  .  and  the  elders.     See  v.  6. 

15.  Behold  Zebah  and  Zalmunna.  These  kings,  whose  slaugh- 
ter might  have  been  expected  immediately  on  their  capture,  were 
kept  alive  as  a  witness  against  the  men  of  Succoth  and  Penuel. 

89 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


1 6.  bread  unto  thy  men  that  are  weary?  And  he  took 
the  elders  of  the  city,  and  thorns  of  the  wilderness 
and  briers,  and  with  them  he  ^  taught    the  men  of 

17.  Succoth.     And  he  brake  down  the  tower  of  Penuel, 

18.  and  slew  the  men  of  the  city.  Then  said  he  unto 
Zebah  and  Zalmunna,  What  manner  of  men  were 
they  whom  ye  slew  at  Tabor?  And  they  answered, 
As  thou  art,  so  were  they;    each  one  resembled  the 

19.  children  of  a  king.  And  he  said.  They  were  my  breth- 
ren, the  sons  of  my  mother :  as  the  Lord  liveth,  if  ye 

20.  had  saved  them  alive,  I  would  not  slay  you.  And  he 
said  unto  Jether  his  firstborn,  Up,  and  slay  them. 
But  the  youth  drew  not  his  sword:    for  he  feared, 

21.  because  he  was  yet  a  youth.  Then  Zebah  and  Zal- 
munna said.  Rise  thou,  and  fall  upon  us:   for  as  the 

1  Some  ancient  authorities  read,  threshed.     See  v.  7. 

16.  And  with  them  he  taught.  We  should  here  follow  the 
Greek  and  Latin  versions  and  render  threshed  after  v.  7  instead  of 
taught.  He  dragged  or  trampled  these  men  naked  over  thorns 
and  briers ;  a  fearful  form  of  death  by  torture  frequently  men- 
tioned by  Greek  authors. 

17.  The  threat  of  v.  9  is  fulfilled. 

18.  Gideon  asks  respecting  the  death  of  his  brothers.  "What 
maimer  of  men.  Literally,  Where  are  the  men  whom  ye  slew? 
Gideon  calls  the  kings  to  an  account  for  the  death  of  his  brothers. 
Their  answer  shows  that  they  expected  blood  revenge  to  be 
inflicted  upon  themselves.  Tabor.  Not  Mt.  Tabor  or  its  village 
north  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  since  too  remote  from  the  home 
of  Gideon,  but  an  unknown  place.  The  word  may  be  a  corruption 
of  Thebez  (9 :  50),  which  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  Shechem. 

20.  Gideon's  request  of  his  son  was  an  honor  to  the  young 
man  and  an  ignominy  to  the  captives. 

21.  The  prisoners  desire  to  be  spared  the  disgrace  of  being 
slain  by  a  youth  and  perhaps  also  the  pain  of  an  unskilful  exe- 

90 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


man  is,  so  is  his  strength.  And  Gideon  arose,  and 
slew  Zebah  and  Zalmunna,  and  took  the  crescents 
that  were  on  their  camels'  necks. 

22.  Then  the  men  of  Israel  said  unto  Gideon,  Rule  thou  E  or  R^^ 
over  us,  both  thou,  and  thy  son,  and  thy  son's  son 

also :  for  thou  hast  saved  us  out  of  the  hand  of  Midian. 

23.  And  Gideon  said  unto  them,  I  will  not  rule  over  you, 
neither  shall  my  son  rule  over  you:    the  Lord  shall 

24.  rule  over  you.     And  Gideon  said  unto  them,  I  would  J 
desire  a  request  of  you,  that  ye  would  give  me  every 


cution.     And  took  the  crescents  that  were  on  their  camels'  necks. 

Riding  camels  are  still  often  adorned  with  strings  of  shell  and 
metal  objects. 

Vv.  22.  f.  interrupt  the  narrative.  They  are  either  misplaced 
or  an  editorial  insertion.  If  the  former,  they  are  a  conclusion  of 
8 :  1-3  (E)  ;  if  the  latter,  they  were  inserted  by  some  one  (per- 
haps RJ^)  who  desired  to  offset  the  impression  conveyed  by 
9 :  I  ff.,  that  Gideon  ruled  as  a  king. 

23.  On  the  motive  of  Gideon's  refusal  cf .  i  Sam.  8:7;  10:19; 
12:17,  19.  "  The  condemnation  of  the  kingdom  as  in  principle 
irreconcilable  with  the  sovereignty  of  Yahweh,  the  divine  king, 
appears  to  date  from  the  last  age  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  those 
terrible  years  of  despotism,  revolution,  and  anarchy  which  inter- 
vened between  the  death  of  Jeroboam  II  and  the  fall  of  Samaria, 
when  history  seemed  to  write  large  the  words  of  Yahweh  by 
a  prophet  of  the  time :  Thou  saidst  give  me  a  king  and  princes ; 
I  give  thee  a  king  in  my  anger  and  take  him  away  in  my  fury 
(Hos.    13:10  f.)  "   {Moore). 

Gideon  fashions  out  of  the  spoils  taken  from  the  Midianites  an 
idol  which,  preserved  at  Ophrah,  becomes  an  object  of  worship. 
This  continues  the  narrative  of  J,  (v.  21). 

24.  Unto  them.  In  the  present  connection  this  seems  to  refer 
to  the  men  of  Israel  (vv.  22  f.) ;  but  originally  the  reference  must 
have  been  to  Gideon's  fellow-warriors  who  possessed  the  spoil. 
Such  a  request  from  Gideon  as  leader  and  chief  was  both  reason- 

91 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


man  the  ^  earrings  of  his  spoil.     (For  they  had  golden 

25.  earrings,  because  they  were  Ishmaelites.)  And  they 
answered,  We  will  willingly  give  them.  And  they 
spread  a  garment,  and  did  cast  therein  every  man  the 

26.  earrings  of  his  spoil .  And  the  weight  of  the  golden 
earrings  that  he  requested  was  a  thousand  and  seven 

R^  hundred  shekels  of  gold;    beside  the  crescents,  and 

the  pendants,  and  the  purple  raiment  that  was  on  the 

kings  of  Midian,  and  beside  the  chains  that  were 

J   27.   about  their  camels'   necks.     And   Gideon  made  an 

ephod  thereof,  and  put  it  in  his  city,  even  in  Ophrah : 

VP  and  all  Israel  went  a  whoring  after  it  there :  and  it  be- 

28.   came  a  snare  unto  Gideon,  and  to  his  house.     So 

1  Or,  nose-rings. 

able  and  customary.  Earrings.  The  word  means  also  nose- 
rings, but  it  is  doubtful  whether  these  were  worn  by  men.  Ish- 
maelites. I.e.  in  customs  and  manner  of  life  ;  they  were  nomads, 
children  of  the  desert.  In  race  according  to  Gen.  25  :  2,  12  ff. 
the  Midianites  were  not  Ishmaelites. 

26.  A  thousand  and  seven  hundred  shekels  of  gold.  About 
seventy  pounds  weight.  This  seems  excessive  to  some,  who  omit 
the  thousand  as  a  gloss.  The  Midianites,  however,  were  traders 
and  hence  would  have  considerable  wealth,  which  as  nomads  they 
would  carry  with  them  in  the  form  of  jewels.  The  second  half 
of  the  verse  reads  like  an  editorial  addition. 

27.  An  ephod.  An  idol  of  some  kind;  mentioned  with  the 
teraphim  (17:  s;  18:  14,  18,  20);  used  as  a  means  of  inquiring 
of  Jehovah  (i  Sam.  14 :  18 ;  23  :  6,  9 ;  30 :  7).  There  was  one  at 
the  sanctuary  in  Nob  (i  Sam.  21:9).  The  same  word  ephod  is 
also  used  to  designate  some  kind  of  a  priestly  garment  (cf.  i  Sam. 
2:  18,  28;  2  Sam.  6:  14)  especially  in  P  of  the  garment  of  the 
high  priest  (Exod.  28:  6-14).  As  an  idol  the  ephod  symbolized 
Jehovah.  And  all  Israel  went  a  whoring.  Cf.  2:  17.  The 
seat  of  the  idol  became  a  popular  place  of  unlawful  worship.     This 

92 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


Midian  was  subdued  before  the  children  of  Israel,  and 
they  lifted  up  their  heads  no  more.  And  the  land  had 
rest  forty  years  in  the  days  of  Gideon. 

29.  And  Jerubbaal  the  son  of  Joash  went  and  dwelt  in  E 

30.  his  own  house.     And  Gideon  had  threescore  and  ten  R^ 
sons  of  his  body  begotten :   for  he  had  many  wives. 

31.  And  his  concubine  that  was  in  Shechem,  she  also 
bare  him  a  son,  and  he  ^  called  his  name  Abimelech. 

32.  And  Gideon  the  son  of  Joash  died  in  a  good  old  age, 
and  was  buried  in  the  sepulchre  of  Joash  his  father, 
in  Ophrah  of  the  Abiezrites. 

1  Heb.  set. 

is  the  judgment  of  the  Deuteronomic  editor  who  wrote  the  second 
half  of  this  verse  and  the  following  one.  And  it  became  a  snare, 
etc.  Cf.  2  :  3.  The  ruin  which  befell  the  house  of  Gideon  (9 :  5) 
is  interpreted  as  due  to  his  erection  of  the  ephod. 

29.  This  verse  is  out  of  place.  Its  original  position  was  in  all 
likelihood  after  8  :  3. 

8:  30-35,  as  an  introduction  to  chap.  9,  consists  of  two  parts: 
vv.  30-32  are  from  the  priestly  editor  (R^),  who  added  the  story 
of  Abimelech  to  the  Deuteronomic  Book  of  Judges  and  wrote 
these  verses  to  explain  who  Abimelech  was  (9  :  i.  ff.) ;  vv.  33- 
35,  on  the  other  hand,  are  the  Deuteronomic  editor's  substitute  for 
his  omission  of  the  story  of  Abimelech  (see  Introduction,  p.  13). 

30.  Threescore  and  ten  sons.  Cf.  Abdon's  seventy  sons  and 
grandsons  (12:14);  Jair's  thirty  sons  (10:4);  Rehoboam's 
twenty-eight  sons  and  threescore  daughters  (2  Chron.  11:21). 
Many  wives.     An  evidence  of  wealth  and  power. 

31.  And  his  concubine  that  was  in  Shechem.  Beside  his 
wives,  inmates  of  his  own  home  and  harem,  Gideon  entered  into 
a  form  of  matrimonial  alliance  with  a  free  woman  who,  according 
to  an  ancient  custom,  remained  with  her  own  parents  and  whose 
child  therefore  would  be  reckoned  as  belonging  to  her  family. 
Her  son  was  thus  regarded  a  Shechemite  in  contrast  to  the 
other  sons  of  Gideon  (9:  1-3).     Abimelech.      The  name  means 

93 


33  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


RD  33.  And  it  came  to  pass,  as  soon  as  Gideon  was  dead,  that 
the  children  of  Israel  turned  again,  and  went  a  whoring 
after  the  Baalim,  and  made  Baal-berith  their  god. 

34.  And  the  children  of  Israel  remembered  not  the  Lord 
their  God,  who  had  delivered  them  out  of  the  hand  of 

35.  all  their  enemies  on  every  side  :  neither  shewed  they 
kindness  to  the  house  of  Jerubbaal,  who  is  Gideon, 
according  to  all  the  goodness  which  he  had  shewed 
unto  Israel. 

E     9.       And  Abimelech  the  son  of  Jerubbaal  went  to  Shechem 

"  Melek  (the  god-king)  is  my  father  "  or  "  Father  of  Melek." 
There  is  no  reference  in  the  name  to  the  kingship  of  Gideon. 

2,2,-  And  went  a  whoring.  On  this  figure  to  express  apos- 
tasy from  Jehovah,  cf.  2:17.  Baalim.  Cf.  2:11.  Baal-berith. 
"  Baal  of  a  Covenant  " :  the  local  god  of  Shechem.  The  Deu- 
teronomic  editor  has  assumed  that  the  worship  of  this  god  by  the 
Shechemites  represented  a  defection  of  the  Israelites.  But  from 
the  narrative  of  the  following  chapter  it  is  clear  that  the  Sheche- 
mites were  Canaanites.  Some  have  supposed  that  the  word  cov- 
enant in  the  name  of  the  god  indicated  a  desire  to  bring  the  Is- 
raelites and  the  Canaanites  into  a  covenant  relationship. 

35.  Neither  shewed  they  kindness  to  the  house  of  Jerubbaal. 
Here  again  the  misdeeds  of  the  Canaanites  of  Shechem,  related 
in  chap.  9,  are  referred  to  as  chargeable  to  the  men  of  Israel. 

Chapter  9.  After  the  death  of  Gideon,  who  seems  to  have  ruled 
as  a  king,  his  son  Abimelech  the  Shechemite  persuaded  his  kinsfolk 
to  exert  themselves  in  his  behalf  that  he  might  succeed  to  the 
authority  of  his  father.  This  attempt,  through  its  appeal  to  the 
racial  prejudice  of  the  Shechemites,  was  successful.  All  the  other 
sons  of  Gideon,  save  one,  having  been  slain,  the  men  of  Shechem 
made  Abimelech  king  (vv.  1-6). 

Jotham  the  escaped  son  of  Gideon  then  from  the  heights  over- 
looking the  city  of  Shechem  delivered  a  taunting  fable  predicting 
the  destruction  of  Abimelech  and  his  abettors  (vv.  7-21). 

For  three  years  Abimelech  ruled.  Then  a  party  within  She- 
chem rose  against  him.     A  civil  strive  ensued  in  which  the  city 

94 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


unto  his  mother's  brethren,  and  spake  with  them,  and 
with  all  the  family  of  the  house  of  his  mother's  father, 


of  Shechem  and  many  of  its  citizens  were  destroyed,  and  Abimelech 
likewise  perished,  slain  in  the  siege  of  the  neighboring  city  of 
Thebez  (vv.  22-57). 

This  narrative  bears  no  marks  of  Deuteronomic  editorship 
and  seems  to  have  been  taken  from  JE  and  added  to  the 
book  of  Judges  by  the  priestly  editor.  The  story  has  been 
commonly  regarded  as  a  unit,  yet  recently  it  has  been  divided  by 
scholars  between  J  and  E,  vv.  26-41  being  assigned  to  the  former 
and  vv.  1-23,  25,  42-55  to  the  latter,  with  vv.  24,  56  f.  being  assigned 
to  R-^.  The  evidences  of  the  two  narratives  are  not  very  pro- 
nounced. The  grounds  for  finding  them  are  the  two  accounts 
of  the  origin  of  hostilities  between  Abimelech  and  the  Shechemites." 
"  In  vv.  22-25  an  evil  spirit  sent  by  God  stirs  up  the  Shechemites ; 
their  armed  bands  rob  all  who  pass  through  their  territory ; 
in  vv.  26-29  3.  family  of  newcomers  headed  by  Gaal  incite  a  revolt 
by  appeals  to  race  pride  and  hatred.  The  sequel  of  the  first 
of  these  is  found  in  vv.  42-45  ;  Abimelech  lays  an  ambush  against 
the  city  and  destroys  it ;  that  of  the  second  is  found  in  vv.  30- 
41,"  A  reflection  of  real  events  may  be  seen  in  these  narratives. 
The  turmoil  and  strife  between  Israelites  and  Canaanites  at 
Shechem  is  probably  historical.  We  have  a  glimpse  of  early  politi- 
cal conditions  in  Palestine.  The  story  as  a  whole  is  also  a  little 
drama  of  moral  retribution.  It  contains  material  which  under 
Greek  influences  might  have  been  wrought  into  a  powerful  tragedy. 

I.  Abimelech.  Cf.  8:31.  Jerubbaal.  Another  name  for 
Gideon  (cf.  6:32;  7:1;  8  :  29).  Went  to  Shechem.  The  young 
man  seems  to  have  been  at  his  father's  house  at  Ophrah.  She- 
chem is  the  modern  Nablus,  a  town  of  importance  with  some 
eighteen  thousand  inhabitants,  about  twenty-eight  miles  almost 
directly  north  of  Jerusalem,  in  a  valley  flanked  on  the  north  by  Mt. 
Gerizim  and  on  the  south  by  Mt.  Ebal.  It  was  a  trade  center  of 
importance,  and  is  conspicuous  in  Old  Testament  narratives. 
According  to  the  usual  interpretation  of  Gen.  34,  it  was  attacked 
by  the  tribes  of  Simeon  and  Levi,  who  in  turn  were  nearly  de- 
stroyed for  their  outrages.  According  to  Josh.  24:1,  Joshua 
assembled  there  the  tribes  of  Israel  just  before  his  death  and  the 

95 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


2.  saying,  Speak,  I  pray  you,  in  the  ears  of  all  the  men  of 
Shechem,  Whether  is  better  for  you,  that  all  the  sons 
of  Jerubbaal,  which  are  threescore  and  ten  persons, 
rule  over  you,  or  that  one  rule  over  you?  remember 

3.  also  that  I  am  your  bone  and  your  flesh.  And  his 
mother's  brethren  spake  of  him  in  the  ears  of  all  the 
men  of  Shechem  all  these  words :  and  their  hearts  in- 
clined to  follow  Abimelech ;  for  they  said.  He  is  our 

4.  brother.  And  they  gave  him  threescore  and  ten  pieces 
of  silver  out  of  the  house  of  Baal-berith,  wherewith 
Abimelech  hired  vain  and  light  fellows,  which  followed 

bones  of  Joseph  were  buried  there  (Josh.  24:32).  There  also 
in  later  history  the  northern  tribes  assembled  to  choose  their  king, 
I  Kings  12:  I.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  earlier  history  of 
the  town,  its  inhabitants  at  the  time  of  Abimelech  were  predom- 
inantly Canaanites.  (Cf.  v.  28,  where  they  are  appealed  to  as 
men  of  Hamor.)  Mother's  brethren  .  .  .  house  of  his  mother's 
father.  Abimelech  addressed  first  his  nearer  kinsfolk  and  the  clan 
to  which  his  mother's  father  belonged,  asking  an  intercession  in 
his  behalf  with  the  people  of  Shechem. 

2.  Threescore  and  ten  persons,  rule  over  you.  These  words 
are  rhetorical.  They  mean  that  an  authority  divided  among  the 
sons  of  Gideon  is  not  to  be  considered.  One  among  them  must 
be  chosen.  Let  that  one  be  me,  says  Abimelech,  since  I  am  your 
bone  and  your  flesh.  This  was  an  appeal  to  family  and  race 
prejudice  which  was  successful  (v.  3). 

3.  He  is  our  brother.  Of  Canaanite  stock  through  his  mother 
and  thus  of  the  same  race  as  the  men  of  Shechem. 

4.  Threescore  and  ten.  pieces  of  silver.  A  silver  shekel  may  be 
reckoned  at  about  sixty  cents.  The  purchasing  power  of  silver 
was  much  greater  than  at  present.  Out  of  the  house  of  Baal- 
berith.  Cf.  8  :  33.  The  money  was  either  from  the  pubUc  treas- 
ury of  the  temple,  the  accumulation  of  gifts  and  votive  offerings 
(such  treasuries  are  mentioned  in  connection  with  the  temple 
at  Jerusalem,  i  Kgs.  15:18;  2  Kgs.  18:15),  or  from  family 
funds  stored  for  safe  keeping  in  the  temple.     Vain  and  light  fel- 

96 


THE   BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


5.  him.  And  he  went  unto  his  father's  house  at  Ophrah, 
and  slew  his  brethren  the  sons  of  Jerubbaal,  being 
threescore  and  ten  persons,  upon  one  stone :  but  Joth- 
am  the  youngest  son  of  Jerubbaal  was  left ;  for  he  hid 
himself. 

6.  And  all  the  men  of  Shechem  assembled  themselves 
together,  and  all  ^  the  house  of  Millo,  and  went  and 
made  Abimelech  king,  by  the  ^  oak  of  the  ^  pillar  that 

7.  was  in  Shechem.     And  when  they  told  it  to  Jotham, 

*  Or,  Belh-millo.  *  Or,  terebinth.  '  Or,  garrison. 

lows.  Worthless  and  reckless  men,  ready  to  commit  any  crime. 
Through  this  following  Abimelech  slew  his  brothers  at  Ophrah 
(v.  5). 

5.  Upon  one  stone.  This  implies  that  the  sons  of  Gideon  were 
taken  alive  and  slain  like  sacrificial  animals  (cf.  i  Sam.  14:  33). 
A  primitive  Semitic  sacrifice  was  the  application  of  blood  (without 
fire)  to  the  altar  or  sacred  stone.  Possibly  the  wanton  followers 
of  Abimelech  made  this  butchery  as  a  human  sacrifice  to  a  god. 

6.  Millo.  The  designation  of  a  citadel  in  Jerusalem  (2  Sam. 
5:9;!  Kgs.  9:15,  24;  11:27;  I  Chron.  11:8;  2  Chron.  32:5), 
and  here  without  doubt  the  citadel  of  Shechem  (cf.  v.  20).  The 
house  of  Millo  then  would  represent  the  family  or  authority  having 
control  of  the  fortress  of  the  city.  By  the  oak  of  the  pillar. 
Trees  were  revered  by  the  early  Hebrews  as  sacred  to  a  deity 
(cf.  4  :  11).  This  oak  is  mentioned  in  Gen.  35  :  4  and  Josh.  24  :  26. 
The  pillar  was  the  sacred  stone,  the  mazzebah,  which  belonged 
to  the  sanctuary  at  Shechem.  Tradition  assigned  the  erection 
of  the  stone  to  Joshua  (Josh.  24:  26).  Such  stones  were  acces- 
sories of  the  early  sanctuaries  of  the  Hebrews  (cf.  Gen.  28:  18; 
31 :  45,  51  f . ;  Exod.  24:  4).  When  the  law  of  the  central  sanc- 
tuary was  promulgated  in  the  book  of  Deuteronomy,  they,  together 
with  worship  at  high  places,  were  forbidden  (Deut.  16  :  22).  The 
choice  of  a  ruler  which  involved  a  covenant  was  naturally  made  at 
a  sanctuary. 

7-15.     Jotham,  the  escaped  son  of  Gideon,  is  represented  as  hav- 
ing uttered  a  taunt  against  the  men  of  Shechem  in  the  fable  that 
H  97 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


he  went  and  stood  in  the  top  of  mount  Gerizim,  and 
lifted  up  his  voice,  and  cried,  and  said  unto  them, 
Hearken  unto  m.e,  ye  men  of  Shechem,  that  God  may 

8.  hearken  unto  you.  The  trees  went  forth  on  a  time  to 
anoint  a  king  over  them ;  and  they  said  unto  the  oUve 

9.  tree.  Reign  thou  over  us.  But  the  oHve  tree  said  unto 
them,  Should  I  leave  my  fatness,  ^  wherewith  by  me 
they  honour  God  and  man,  and  go  to  wave  to  and  fro 

1  Or,  which  God  and  man  honour  in  me. 

the  trees,  having  vainly  sought  the  olive  and  the  fig  and  the  vine  to 
rule  over  them,  turned  at  last  to  the  bramble  and  made  him  their 
king.  The  meaning  of  the  fable  is  that  good  and  useful  citizens 
are  unwilling  to  leave  their  fruitful  callings  to  assume  political 
office,  and  that  the  choice  of  rulers  falls  upon  worthless  members 
of  society.  The  fable  does  not  directly  mirror  the  circumstances 
under  which  Abimelech  was  chosen  king.  Hence  it  was  probably 
taken  by  the  writer  from  current  folklore  as  well  suited  to  the 
narrative,  into  which  it  fits  with  telling  force.  A  similar  brief 
fable  is  given  in  the  reply  of  Jehoash  king  of  Israel  to  Amaziah 
king  of  Judah,  where  the  thistle  asked  of  the  cedar  his  daughter 
for  his  son  (2  Kgs.  14 :  9). 

7.  He  went  and  stood  in  the  top  of  mount  Gerizim.  Jotham, 
having  learned  that  Abimelech  had  been  made  king,  is  represented 
as  stationing  himself  on  the  top  of  the  neighboring  Mt.  Gerizim 
and  there  uttering  his  prophetic  taunt.  Some  assume  that  he 
actually  summoned  the  citizens  to  the  mountain  and  then  at  a 
safe  distance  above  them  (the  top  is  900  feet  high)  uttered  his 
words.  This  is  of  course  possible.  The  episode  is,  however, 
more  likely  a  dramatic  embellishment  of  the  story  than  a  real 
occurrence.  The  writer  is  introducing  a  bit  of  prophecy  (see 
w.  16-20).  He  uses  fable  and  Jotham  as  the  vehicle  of  its  utterance, 
instead  of  bringing  upon  the  scene,  as  the  later  writers  were  wont 
to  do,  a  man  of  God.  That  God  may  hearken  unto  you.  May 
God  hear  your  prayers  as  you  listen  to  my  words. 

9.  My  fatness,  wherewith  by  me  they  honour  God  and  man. 
From  the  olive  tree  came  oil,  fatness,  not  only  very  widely  used  in 

98 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


10.  over  the  trees?    And  the  trees  said  to  the  fig  tree, 

11.  Come  thou,  and  reign  over  us.     But  the  fig  tree  said 
unto  them.  Should  I  leave  my  sweetness,  and  my  good 

12.  fruit,  and  go  to  wave  to  and  fro  over  the  trees  ?    And 
the  trees  said  unto  the  vine.  Come  thou,  and  reign 

13.  over  us.     And  the  vine  said  unto  them,  Should  I 
leave  my  wine,  which  cheereth  God  and  man,  and  go 

14.  to  wave  to  and  fro  over  the  trees  ?     Then  said  all  the 
trees  unto  the  ^  bramble.  Come  thou,  and  reign  over 

15.  us.     And  the  ^  bramble  said  unto  the  trees.  If  in  truth 
ye  anoint  me  king  over  you,  then  come  and  put  your 

1  Or,  thorn. 

the  preparation  of  food,  as  a  substitute  for  butter,  and  in  lamps 
for  illumination,  but  also  used  in  anointing  as  a  symbol  of  honor. 
Cf.  the  anointing  of  priests  (Exod.  29  :  7 ;  Lev.  8:  12;  10:  7; 
21 :  10 ;  Num.  35:25;  Ps.  133 :  2  f.),  and  kings  (i  Sam.  10:1; 
16  :  13  ;  2  Kgs.  9  :  3),  and  guests  (Ps.  23  :  5  ;  45  :  7  I  Luk.  7  :  46). 
Oil  likewise  was  poured  upon  stones  where  God  was  supposed  to 
dwell  (Gen.  28  :  18 ;  35  :  14)  and  was  an  ingredient  of  certain  sacri- 
fices (Exod.  29 :  23 ;  Lev.  6:15,  21;  7:10;  Num.  6:15;  8:8). 
To  wave  to  and  fro.     I.e.  to  rule  over  the  trees. 

II.  My  sweetness  and  my  good  fruit.  "  Figs  are  not  only 
a  delicious  luxury  but  one  of  the  food  staples  of  the  country." 

13.  My  wine  which  cheereth  God  and  man.  The  exhilira- 
tion  which  comes  from  wine  is  viewed  as  desirable.  God  should 
here  be  rendered  gods.  The  writer  has  the  notion  of  a  plurality  of 
gods  and  of  their  partaking  in  some  way  of  the  libations  which 
were  poured  out  to  them  (cf.  Num.  15  :  5,  7,  10). 

14.  The  bramble.  A  thorny  shrub  from  two  to  six  feet  in 
height  with  insignificant  flowers  and  small  berries.  The  fruitful 
and  useful  trees  having  refused  the  offer  of  the  kingship,  resort 
is  had  to  brushwood,  contemptible  in  size  and  useless.  This  thorn 
bush  symbolizes  Abimelech.  Gideon,  according  to  8:  22  f.,  may 
be  seen  in  the  fruitful  trees  of  the  forest. 

15.  Then  come  and  put  your  trust  in  my  shadow.     To  speak 

99 


i6  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


trust  in  my  shadow :  and  if  not,  let  fire  come  out  of 
the  ^bramble,  and  devour  the  cedars  of  Lebanon. 
i6.  Now  therefore,  if  ye  have  dealt  truly  and  uprightly, 
in  that  ye  have  made  Abimelech  king,  and  if  ye  have 
dealt  well  with  Jerubbaal  and  his  house,  and  have 
done  unto  him  according  to  the  deserving  of  his  hands ; 

17.  (for  my  father  fought  for  you,  and  ^  adventured  his 
life,  and  delivered  you  out  of  the  hand  of  Midian: 

18.  and  ye  are  risen  up  against  my  father's  house  this  day, 
and  have  slain  his  sons,  threescore  and  ten  persons, 
upon  one  stone,  and  have  made  Abimelech,  the  son  of 
his  maidservant,  king  over  the  men  of  Shechem,  be- 

19.  cause  he  is  your  brother ;)  if  ye  then  have  dealt  truly 
and  uprightly  with  Jerubbaal  and  with  his  house  this 
day,  then  rejoice  ye  in  Abimelech,  and  let  him  also 

20.  rejoice  in  you:  but  if  not,  let  fire  come  out  from 
Abimelech,  and  devour  the  men  of  Shechem,  and 
the  house  of  Millo;  and  let  fire  come  out  from  the 
men  of  Shechem,  and  from  the  house  of  Millo,  and  de- 

1  Or,  thorn.  *  jjeb.  cast  his  life  before  him. 

of  sitting  under  the  shadow  of  the  contemptible  straggling  thorn 
bush  is  the  acme  of  irony,  illustrating  the  absurdity  of  seeking 
protection  through  the  kingship  of  a  worthless  member  of  society. 
And  if  not,  let  fire,  etc.  But  after  such  a  one  had  been  made  king, 
while  powerless  to  protect,  he  had  power  to  destroy.  The  protec- 
tion of  the  bramble  was  a  mockery,  but  destruction  awaited  those 
who  did  not  submit  to  his  authority.  The  cedars  of  Lebanon. 
The  most  stately  trees  of  the  forest  in  contrast  to  the  thorn  bush. 
16-21.  A  moral  judgment  is  passed  upon  the  conduct  of  the 
Shechemites.  Their  ingratitude  and  frightful  wrong  to  the  house 
of  Gideon  are  laid  bare.  Their  doom  likewise  is  declared.  Having 
made  a  bramble  king,  a  fire  from  the  bramble  shall  destroy  them, 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


21.  vour  Abimelech.  And  Jotham  ran  away,  and  fled, 
and  went  to  Beer,  and  dwelt  there,  for  fear  of  Abime- 
lech his  brother. 

22.  And  Abimelech  was  prince  over  Israel  three  years. 

23.  And  God  sent  an  evil  spirit  between  Abimelech  and 
the  men  of  Shechem ;  and  the  men  of  Shechem  dealt 

24.  treacherously  with  Abimelech :  that  the  violence  done   R^^ 
to  the  threescore  and  ten  sons  of  Jerubbaal  might 
come,  and  that  their  blood  might  be  laid  upon  Abime- 
lech their  brother,  which  slew  them,  and  upon  the 
men  of  Shechem,  which  strengthened  his  hands  to 

25.  slay  his  brethren.     And  the   men   of   Shechem   set  E 
Hers  in  wait  for  him  on  the  tops  of  the  mountains 

and  in  the  conflagration  the  bramble  shall  likewise  be  destroyed. 
The  writer  had  clearly  in  mind  the  disastrous  results  to  Shechem 
which  attended  the  reign  of  Abimelech  and  his  own  untimely  end. 

21.  Jotham  is  not  heard  of  again.  Beer.  This  place  is  un- 
known. The  word  means  "  well,"  and  places  of  that  name  would 
be  frequent.  Some  in  this  connection  have  thought  of  Beeroth 
north  of  Jerusalem  (Josh.  9  :  17;  2  Sam.  4:2);  others  of  the 
well-known  Beersheba  in  southern  Judah. 

22.  Over  Israel.  There  is  nothing  in  the  story  of  Abimelech 
to  show  that  his  rule  extended  beyond  Shechem  and  adjacent 
cities,  hence  the  phrase  over  Israel,  or  this  entire  verse,  is  from  the 
hand  of  some  annotator. 

23.  And  God  sent  an  evil  spirit.  Not  necessarily  a  spirit 
intrinsically  evil,  but  a  spirit  who  produced  evil  results.  Cf. 
the  evil  spirit  which  troubled  Saul  (i  Sam.  16:14;  18:10; 
19:  9)  and  especially  the  spirit  which  became  "  a  lying  spirit  " 
in  the  mouth  of  Ahab's  prophets  (i  Kgs.  22  :  22).  God  is  repre- 
sented as  sending  these  spirits  to  occasion  the  undoing  of  men.  In 
this  instance  the  spirit  caused  the  men  of  Shechem  to  act  in  bad 
faith  toward  Abimelech. 

24.  This  verse  is  probably  an  editorial  comment. 

25.  For  him.     I.e.  to  the  disadvantage  or  injury  of  Abimelech. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


and  they  robbed  all  that  came  along  that  way  by 
them :  and  it  was  told  Abimelech. 
J  26.       And  Gaal  the  son  of  Ebed  came  with  his  brethren, 
and  went  over  to  Shechem :  and  the  men  of  Shechem 

27.  put  their  trust  in  him.  And  they  went  out  into  the 
field,  and  gathered  their  vineyards,  and  trode  the 
grapes,  and  ^  held  festival,  and  went  into  the  house 
of  their  god,  and  did  eat  and  drink,  and  cursed  Abime- 

28.  lech.    And  Gaal  the  son  of  Ebed  said,  Who  is  Abime- 

1  Or,  offered  a  praise  offering. 

The  men  of  Shechem  encouraged  highway  robbers,  who  from  the 
tops  of  the  hills  plundered  all  who  passed  by.  Shechem  was  fa- 
vorably located  for  such  violence,  being  at  the  juncture  of  two 
important  routes  of  trade.  This  brigandage  may  have  interfered 
with  tolls  which  Abimelech  was  accustomed  to  collect.  And  it  was 
told  Abimelech.     The  sequel  to  this  sentence  appears  in  v.  42. 

26-33.  This  story  is  independent  of  the  preceding  narrative, 
although  it  serves  to  show  how  a  spirit  of  discord  arose  between  the 
Shechemites  and  Abimelech.  Gaal,  whose  former  home  is  not  given, 
accompanied  by  his  family,  takes  up  his  residence  in  Shechem, 
and,  gaining  the  confidence  of  the  men  of  the  place,  foments  a 
revolt  against  the  authority  of  Abimelech.  Of  this  defection 
Abimelech  is  apprised  by  messengers  from  Zebul,  the  governor  of 
the  city,  who  counsels  a  night  march  to  the  vicinity  of  Shechem, 
and  a  morning  demonstration  against  the  city. 

26.  Ebed.  This  word  means  slave;  the  more  probable  name 
was  'Obed,  "  worshipper,"  with  reference  to  some  god. 

27.  And  they  went  out  into  the  field.  It  was  the  season  of  the 
vintage  when  the  people  were  accustomed  to  go  from  the  city 
into  their  vineyards  and  gather  the  grapes  and  tread  them  into 
wine.  This  was  a  joyous  occasion.  The  people  feasted  together, 
and  since  such  festivities  partook  of  a  religious  character,  they 
entered  the  temple  of  their  god  and  there,  doubtless  under  the 
influence  of  Gaal,  they  cursed  Abimelech. 

28.  Who  is  Abimelech,  and  who  is  Shechem,  that  we  should 


THE   BOOK   OF  JUDGES 


lech,  and  who  is  Shechem,  that  we  should  serve  him  ? 
is  not  he  the  son  of  Jerubbaal  ?  and  Zebul  his  officer  ? 
serve  ye  the  men  of  Hamor  the  father  of  Shechem: 

29.  but  why  should  we  serve  him?  And  would  to  God 
this  people  were  under  my  hand  !  then  would  I  re- 
move Abimelech.     And  he  said  ^  to  Abimelech,  In- 

30.  crease  thine  army,  and  come  out.  And  when  Zebul 
the  ruler  of  the  city  heard  the  words  of  Gaal  the  son 

31.  of  Ebed,  his  anger  was  kindled.    And  he  sent  mes- 

1  Or,  of. 

serve  him?  The  contrast  is  between  Abimelech  and  the  Shechem- 
ites.  The  former  as  a  half  Israelite  is  unworthy  to  be  the  ruler 
of  men  of  pure  Canaanite  stock.  Is  not  he  the  son  of  Jerubbaal? 
Is  not  Abimelech  of  Israelite  descent  ?  As  his  Canaanite  blood 
had  served  to  procure  him  the  kingship  (vv.  2  f.),  so  now  his  Is- 
raelite blood  becomes  a  pretext  for  his  rejection.  His  represen- 
tative, Zebul,  is  also  referred  to  with  contempt.  Serve  ye  the  men 
of  Hamor  the  father  of  Shechem.  This  command  bids  the  people 
to  find  a  ruler  in  one  of  their  own  race.  Hamor  was  the  reputed 
founder  of  Shechem  (cf.  Gen.  34:  2).  Another  rendering  of  the 
Hebrew  text  is  :  Did  not  the  son  of  Jerubbaal  and  Zebul  his  officer 
(formerly)  serve  the  men  of  Hamor  the  father  of  Shechem?  Why 
then  should  we  serve  him  (Abimelech)  ?  This  son  of  an  Israelite 
and  his  agent  formerly  were  subject  to  us  of  Canaanite  stock  ;  why 
should  we  serve  him  now?  Thus  by  appeal  to  racial  prejudice 
Gaal  sought  to  undo  Abimelech. 

29.  Gaal  urges  that  if  he  were  in  command  of  the  people  he 
would  remove  the  upstart  Abimelech.  He  would  likewise  bid 
him  defiance  {and  I  would  say  is  the  correct  rendering,  after  the 
Greek  version,  in  place  of,  and  he  said).  Like  a  true  demagogue 
Gaal,  having  inflamed  his  hearers  against  Abimelech,  seeks  to 
elevate  himself  to  office. 

30.  The  ruler  of  the  city.  Zebul,  called  in  v.  28  Abimelech's 
officer,  evidently  ruled  the  city  as  the  deputy  of  Abimelech. 

31.  Craftily.     The  word  thus  rendered  is  more  probably  the 

I  103 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


sengers  unto  Abimelech  ^  craftily,  saying,  Behold, 
Gaai  the  son  of  Ebed  and  his  brethren  are  come  to 
Shechem ;    and,  behold,  they  ^  constrain  the  city  to 

32.  take  part  against  thee.  Now  therefore,  up  by  night, 
thou  and  the  people  that  is  with  thee,  and  lie  in  wait 

33.  in  the  field:  and  it  shall  be,  that  in  the  morning,  as 
soon  as  the  sun  is  up,  thou  shalt  rise  early,  and  set  upon 
the  city:  and,  behold,  when  he  and  the  people  that 
is  with  him  come  out  against  thee,  then  mayest  thou 
do  to  them  ^  as  thou  shalt  find  occasion. 

34.  And  Abimelech  rose  up,  and  all  the  people  that  were 
with  him,  by  night,  and  they  laid  wait  against  She- 

35.  chem  in  four  companies.  And  Gaal  the  son  of  Ebed 
went  out,  and  stood  in  the  entering  of  the  gate  of  the 
city:    and  Abimelech  rose  up,  and  the  people  that 

36.  were  with  him,  from  the  ambushment.  And  when 
Gaal  saw  the  people,  he  said  to  Zebul,  Behold,  there 
come  people  down  from  the  tops  of  the  mountains. 
And  Zebul  said  imto  him.  Thou  seest  the  shadow  of  the 

*  Or,  in  Tortnah.        ^  Or,  oppress  the  city  on  thy  account.        '  Heb.  as  thine  hand 
shall  find. 

name  of  the  place  where  Abimelech  resided,  i.e.  at  Arumah. 
They  constrain  the  city.  Literally,  they  besiege  the  city.  This 
is  not  agreeable  to  the  context.  Hence  by  a  slight  change  in  the 
Hebrew  text  read,  they  are  stirring  up  the  city  against  thee. 

34-41.  Abimelech  follows  the  counsel  of  Zebul.  He  marches  by 
night  toward  Shechem,  and  dividing  his  forces  into  four  companies, 
lies  in  concealment  not  far  from  the  city  (v.  34).  In  the  morning 
when  Gaal  with  Zebul  was  standing  at  the  entrance  to  the  gate 
of  the  city,  the  troops  of  Abimelech  reveal  themselves  (v.  35). 
Gaal  detects  their  movement,  but  Zebul  says.  Thou  seest  the 
shadow  of  the  mountains  as  if  they  were  men  (v.  36).  He  implies 
that  Gaal  is  full  of  foolish  or  cowardly  fear.     But  when  Gaal  dis- 

104 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


37.  mountains  as  if  they  were  men.  And  Gaal  spake 
again  and  said,  See,  there  come  people  down  by  the 
1  middle  of  the  land,  and  one  company  cometh  by  the 

38.  way  of  2  the  oak  of  Meonenim.  Then  said  Zebul  unto 
him,  Where  is  now  thy  mouth,  that  thou  saidst,  Who  is 
Abimelech,  that  we  should  serve  him  ?  is  not  this  the 
people  that  thou  hast  despised?   go  out  now,  I  pray, 

39.  and  fight  with  them.     And  Gaal  went  out  before  the 

40.  men  of  Shechem,  and  fought  with  Abimelech.  And 
Abimelech  chased  him,  and  he  fled  before  him,  and 
there  fell  many  wounded,  even  unto  the  entering  of 

41.  the  gate.  And  Abimelech  dwelt  at  Arumah:  and 
Zebul  drave  out  Gaal  and  his  brethren,  that  they 

42.  should  not  dwell  in  Shechem.     And  it  came  to  pass 

1  Heb.  navel.  *  That  is,  the  augurs'  oak,  or  terebinth. 

cerns  with  sureness  the  advance  of  the  troops  (v.  37),  Zebul  then 
bids  him  fulfil  his  braggart  boast  and  march  forth  against  Abim- 
elech (v.  38).  This  he  does  with  disastrous  consequences. 
He  and  his  followers  are  driven  back  into  the  city.  (The  fight 
seems  to  have  been  a  petty  affair,  since  none  were  slain,  v.  40.) 
Abimelech  withdraws  to  his  residence  at  Arumah;  but  Zebul 
drives  Gaal  and  his  kinsmen  out  of  Shechem  (v.  41). 

37.  By  the  middle  of  the  land.  Read  as  in  the  margin  Navel 
of  the  Land.  This  is  the  proper  name  of  an  unknown  locality. 
Equally  unknown  is  the  situation  of  the  oak  of  Meonenim,  i.e. 
the  oak  of  the  augurs  or  diviners.  The  oak  of  Moreh,  i.e.  the 
oak  of  a  teacher  or  diviner,  near  Shechem  is  mentioned  in  Gen. 
12:6.  Whether  this  sacred  tree  was  identical  with  the  one  here 
mentioned  cannot  be  determined. 

42-45.  This  narrative  (from  E)  is  a  continuation  of  vv.  22-25. 
The  revolt  of  Gaal  (just  related)  seems  to  have  been  a  minor  episode 
in  the  reign  of  Abimelech  and  to  have  preceded  the  more  serious 
defection,  which  manifested  itself  in  the  brigandage  related  in 
v.  25  and  resulted  in  the  destruction  of  Shechem. 

105 


43  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


on  the  morrow,  that  the  people  went  out  into  the  field ; 

43.  and  they  told  Abimelech.  And  he  took  the  people, 
and  divided  them  into  three  companies,  and  laid  wait 
in  the  field;  and  he  looked,  and,  behold,  the  people 
came  forth  out  of  the  city;    and  he  rose  up  against 

44.  them,  and  smote  them.  And  Abimelech,  and  the 
companies  that  were  with  him,  rushed  forward,  and 
stood  in  the  entering  of  the  gate  of  the  city :  and  the 
two  companies  rushed  upon  all  that  were  in  the  field, 

45.  and  smote  them.  And  Abimelech  fought  against  the 
city  all   that    day;   and  he  took  the  city,  and  slew 


42.  On  the  morrow.  From  the  connection  this  would  be  the 
day  after  the  repulse  of  Gaal  and  his  adherents.  But  that  story- 
has  been  finished  with  the  mention  of  the  retirement  of  Abim- 
elech to  Arumah  and  the  expulsion  of  Gaal  from  Shechem 
(v.  41).  This  verse  (42)  is  then  either  a  harmonizing  gloss  from 
R-^^  or  this  morrow  is  to  be  connected  with  v.  25,  and  must  not 
be  taken  too  literally.  The  report  of  the  highway  robberies 
having  been  brought  to  Abimelech  (v.  25),  then  on  the  morrow  {i.e. 
the  next  time)  when  the  men  of  Shechem  purposed  to  go  out  into  the 
field,  i.e.  into  the  country  for  rohhtry  {and  it  was  told  Abimelech),  he, 
it  is  to  be  assumed,  proceeded  against  them  according  to  the  strat- 
agem and  result  described  in  the  following  two  verses,  43  f. 
Abimelech  divided  his  forces  into  three  companies,  placing  them 
in  ambush  near  Shechem.  Then  when  the  expedition,  intent  on 
highway  robbery,  had  come  out  of  the  city  into  the  country, 
Abimelech  with  one  company  (the  Hebrew  text  by  mistake  has 
the  plural  companies)  took  his  position  at  the  entrance  of  the 
city  gate  to  check  any  fellow-townsmen  who  might  come  forth 
to  assist  the  expedition  and  likewise  to  prevent  their  retreat  into 
the  city.  The  other  two  companies  in  the  meanwhile  attacked 
the  expedition  itself,  which  was  completely  defeated. 

45.  Abimelech  fought  the  entire  day  against  Shechem,  which 
he  finally  took,  slaughtering,  after  the  manner  of  Israelitish  war- 
fare, all  of  the  inhabitants.     He  likewise  destroyed  the  buildings. 

106 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


the   people   that   was   therein:    and    he   beat  down 
the  city,  and  sowed  it  with  salt. 

46.  And  when  all  the  men  of  the  tower  of  Shechem  heard 
thereof,  they  entered  into  the  hold  of  the  house  of 

47.  Elberith.  And  it  was  told  Abimelech  that  all  the 
men  of  the  tower  of  Shechem  were  gathered  together. 

48.  And  Abimelech  gat  him  up  to  mount  Zalmon,  he  and 
all  the  people  that  were  with  him;  and  Abimelech 
took  1  an  axe  in  his  hand,  and  cut  down  a  bough  from 
the  trees,  and  took  it  up,  and  laid  it  on  his  shoulder : 
and  he  said  unto  the  people  that  were  with  him, 
What  ye  have  seen  me  do,  make  haste,  and  do  as  I 

49.  have  done.      And  all  the  people  likewise  cut   down 

1  Heb.  the  axes. 

And  sowed  it  with  salt.  Abimelech  symbolically  devoted  the 
place  to  utter  desolation.  A  salt  land  was  unfruitful  and  un- 
inhabitable (cf.  Deut.  29  :  23  ;  Jer.  17:6;  Ps.  107  :  34).  Shechem, 
however,  .if  thus  completely  destroyed  had  too  advantageous 
a  situation  to  remain  long  desolate.  It  was  an  important  place 
early  in  the  kingdom  (i  Kgs.  12:1)  and  was  rebuilt  and  fortij&ed 
by  King  Jeroboam  (i  Kgs.  12  :  25). 

46.  The  tower  of  Shechem.  Either  a  place  outside  of 
Shechem,  the  site  of  the  temple  of  El-berith,  or  a  stronghold 
within  the  city,  an  acropolis,  in  which  was  located  the  temple 
of  El-berith  and  which  became  the  final  refuge  of  the  men  of 
Shechem.  Those  who  hold  this  latter  view  generally  assign  vv. 
46-49  to  J,  since  v.  45  gives  a  final  summary  of  the  destruction  of 
Shechem,  and  elsewhere  in  E,  in  vv.  6  and  20,  the  apparent  name  of 
the  citadel  of  Shechem  is  Millo.  The  hold.  An  excavated  cham- 
ber of  some  sort ;  perhaps  in  the  rock  behind  the  temple.  The 
word  occurs  also  in  i  Sam.  13  :  6.  Elberith.  "  God  of  covenant." 
The  same  as  Baal-herith  mentioned  in  8:33;  9:4. 

48.  Mount  Zalmon.  The  exact  location  of  this  hill  is  unknown. 
The  name  means  shade,  shadow. 

107 


50  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


every  man  his  bough,  and  followed  Abimelech,  and 
put  them  to  the  hold,  and  set  the  hold  on  fire  upon 
them;  so  that  all  the  men  of  the  tower  of  Shechem 
died  also,  about  a  thousand  men  and  women. 

50.  Then  went  Abimelech   to  Thebez,  and  encamped 

51.  against  Thebez,  and  took  it.  But  there  was  a  strong 
tower  within  the  city,  and  thither  fled  all  the  men  and 
women,  and  all  they  of  the  city,  and  shut  themselves 

52.  in,  and  gat  them  up  to  the  roof  of  the  tower.  And 
Abimelech  came  unto  the  tower,  and  fought  against 
it,  and  went  hard  unto  the  door  of  the  tower  to  bum 

53.  it  with  fire.  And  a  certain  woman  cast  an  upper 
millstone  upon  Abimelech's  head,  and  brake  his  skull. 

54.  Then  he  called  hastily  unto  the  young  man  his  ar- 
mourbearer,  and  said  unto  him.  Draw  thy  sword,  and 
kill  me,  that  men  say  not  of  me,  A  woman  slew  him. 
And  his  young  man  thrust  him  through,  and  he  died. 

R  55.   And  when  the  men  of  Israel  saw  that  Abimelech  was 


so.  Thebez.  Identified  with  modern  Tubas,  about  13  miles 
northeast  of  Shechem,  on  the  road  to  Beth-shean.  The  kingdom  of 
Abimelech  clearly  embraced  other  cities  besides  that  of  Shechem, 
and  those  discontented  with  him  were  not  confined  to  the  latter  place. 

53.  An  upper  millstone.  The  upper  stone  of  a  hand  mill, 
with  which  women  were  accustomed  to  grind  grain.  It  might 
weigh  twenty-five  or  thirty  pounds. 

54.  His  armourbearer.  Leaders  usually  had  personal  at- 
tendants of  this  kind  :  so  Gideon,  7:11;  Jonathan,  i  Sam.  14 :  6 ; 
Saul,  I  Sam.  16:  21 ;  31 :  4;  Goliath,  i  Sam.  17  :  7.  The  request 
of  Abimelech  is  to  be  compared  with  that  of  Saul,  i  Sam.  31:4. 

55.  This  verse  with  its  allusion  to  the  men  of  Israel  is  probably 
from  the  hand  of  an  editor  who  drew  no  racial  distinction  between 
the  parties  concerned  in  the  strife  about  Abimelech ;  and  yet 
since  the  revolt  against  Abimelech  had  been  a  Canaanite  defection 

108 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  lo  :  I 


56.  dead,  they  departed  every  man  unto  his  place.  Thus   R-^^ 
God  requited  the  wickedness  of  Abimelech,  which  he 

did  unto  his  father,  in  slaying  his  seventy  brethren : 

57.  and  all  the  wickedness  of  the  men  of  Shechem  did 
God  requite  upon  their  heads :  and  upon  them  came 
the  curse  of  Jotham  the  son  of  Jerubbaal. 

6.  Tola,  10 : 1-2 
10.       And  after  Abimelech  there  arose  to  save  Israel  Tola  R^^'*'^ 
the  son  of  Puah,  the  son  of  Dodo,  a  man  of  Issachar ; 
and  he  dwelt  in  Shamir  in  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim. 


(cf.  V.  28),  his  supporters  would  have  been  naturally  Israelites, 
and  hence  the  editor  wrote  better  than  he  knew. 

The  section  10:  1-5  and  the  account  of  the  minor  judges 
Ibzan,  Elon,  and  Abdon  (12:8-15),  having  no  marks  of  Deu- 
teronomic  editorship,  as  already  mentioned  (see  p.  13),  are  late 
additions  to  the  Book  of  Judges  coming  from  the  hand  of  the 
priestly  editor  (R^),  either  his  own  composition  or  that  of  the 
compiler  of  JE  (R-^^).  The  notices  of  these  judges,  whose  lives 
were  colorless  and  without  any  exploits,  were  introduced  to  give 
a  certain  symmetry  to  the  history  of  the  period  of  the  judges, 
making  their  number  twelve  and  providing  seventy  years  for 
the  chronology.  The  minor  judges  themselves  were  undoubtedly 
originally  clans,  and  are  an  illustration  of  the  personification 
(common  among  the  Hebrews  and  other  ancients)  of  peoples, 
tribes,  and  families,  whereby  each  of  them  was  imagined  to  have 
sprung  from  an  ancestor  bearing  its  name  and  hence  in  modern 
usage  called  an  eponym.  Thus  the  tribes  of  the  desert  east  of 
Palestine  traced  their  descent  from  Ishmael  and  his  sons,  whose 
names  they  bore,  and  the  children  of  Israel  from  Israel  and  his 
sons.  From  the  sons  of  the  ancestor  of  a  tribe  came  tribal 
clans  and  families.  In  some  instances,  it  is  true  that  a  his- 
torical person  has  given  his  name  to  a  tribe  or  family,  but  these 
are  very  rare  compared  to  the  reverse. 

I.  Tola  and  Puah  both  appear  in  the  genealogy  of  Issachar  as 
109 


10  12 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


2.  And  he  judged  Israel  twenty  and   three  years,  and 
died,  and  was  buried  in  Shamir. 

7.  J  air,  10 :  3-5 

RPorjE     ^        ^jj^j  ^f^gj.  Yixm  arose  Jair,  the  Gileadite;   and  he 

4.   judged  Israel  twenty  and  two  years.     And  he  had 

thirty  sons  that  rode  on  thirty  ass  colts,  and  they  had 

thirty  cities,  which  are  called  ^  Hawoth-jair  unto  this 

1  That  is,  The  towns  of  Jair.    See  Num.  32 :  41- 

names  of  his  sons  (Gen.  46  :  13  ;  i  Chron.  7  :  i),  i.e.  clans  (cf.  Num. 
26:  23).  Historically  they  were  such,  and  out  of  them  were  the 
names  of  the  judge  and  his  father  derived.  The  meanings  of 
the  names  are  interesting:  Tola  signifies  a  worm  producing  a 
crimson  dye,  and  Puah  a  plant  producing  the  same.  Dodo,  not 
mentioned  elsewhere  in  connection  with  Issachar,  appears  as  the 
name  of  the  father  of  one  of  David's  heroes  (2  Sam.  23  :  9,  24). 
Shamir.  Not  identified,  but  since  Tola  was  of  the  tribe  of  Issachar, 
it  must  naturally  be  placed  in  the  northwestern  portion  of  the  hill 
country  of  Ephraim,  adjoining  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  into  which 
the  territory  of  Issachar  extended. 

2.  And  was  buried  in  Shamir,  A  similar  notice  is  given  in 
the  case  of  the  other  minor  judges.  Tombs  of  these  judges,  the 
reputed  founders  of  the  clans  bearing  their  names,  were  un- 
doubtedly shown  in  later  times. 

3.  Jair.  This  judge  is  derived  from  the  son  of  Manasseh,  the 
reputed  conqueror  of  the  district  of  Hawoth-jair  in  Gilead,  the 
rich  and  hilly  district  belonging  to  Israel  east  of  the  Jordan  (cf . 
Num.  32:41;  Deut.  3:14;  Josh.  13:30;  i  Chron.  2:22  f . ;  i 
Kgs.  4:  13).     Like  Tola,  Jair  is  the  name  of  a  clan. 

4.  And  he  had  thirty  sons.  Cf.  the  thirty  sons  of  Ibzan 
(12:9)  and  the  forty  sons  and  thirty  grandsons  of  Abdon  (12  :  14). 
Thirty  ass  colts.  The  ass  was  highly  esteemed  as  a  riding  animal 
and  was  used  by  people  of  rank  (cf.  i  :  14  ;  5  :  10 ;  i  Sam.  25  :  20; 
2  Sam.  17  :  23  ;  19  :  26  ;  Zech.  9:9).  And  they  had  thirty  cities 
which  are  called  Hawoth-jair  unto  this  day.     The  word  Havwih 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


5.  day,  which  are  in  the  land  of  Gilead.     And  Jair  died 
and  was  buried  in  Kamon. 

8.  Jephthah,  10 :  6-12  :  7 

6.  And  the  children  of  Israel  again  did  that  which  was  R° 
evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  served  the  Baalim,  and 

means  primarily  a  group  of  tents  and  then  secondarily  a  group 
of  permanent  dwelling  towns.  These  of  the  district  of  Jair  were 
variously  reckoned  :  in  Deut.  3.  14  at  60 ;  in  i  Chron.  2  :  22  at  23  ; 
and  here  at  30  to  correspond  with  the  sons  of  Jair.  The 
sons  of  Jair  represent  families  or  branches  of  the  clan  of  Jair. 
Havvoth-jair  is  in  the  northern  portion  of  Gilead. 

5.   Kamon  has  not  been  identified. 

The  story  of  Jephthah,  10:  6-12  :  7,  relates  the  deliverance  of 
Israel,  especially  that  part  which  dwelt  in  Gilead  east  of  the  Jordan, 
from  the  oppression  of  the  Ammonites.  This  so-called  oppression 
was  in  reality  not  of  great  significance  in  the  life  of  the  people,  and 
Jephthah  appears  as  the  hero  simply  of  one  of  those  border 
struggles  which  often  must  have  taken  place  between  the  eastern 
tribes  and  their  neighbors  of  Ammon  and  Moab.  The  main  interest 
also  of  this  tale  lies  neither  in  the  personality  of  Jephthah  nor  in 
any  striking  exploit  of  his,  but  in  his  vow  whereby  his  daughter 
was  sacrificed  unto  Jehovah  (11:34-40).  To  the  custom  of 
the  yearly  celebration  of  her  untimely  fate  is  probably  due  the 
preservation  of  the  story. 

In  composition  this  tale  exhibits  some  of  the  same  complexity 
which  we  have  found  in  the  story  of  Gideon.  The  introduction 
(10:6-18)  is  of  unusual  length.  It  opens  with  the  usual  Deu- 
teronomic  formula  that  the  children  again  did  that  which  was 
evil  .  .  .  and  the  anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against  Israel  and 
he  sold  them  .  .  .  into  the  hand  of  the  children  of  Ammon.  And 
they  vexed  and  oppressed  the  children  of  Israel  .  .  .  eighteen  years 
(vv.  6-8a).  This  much,  allowing  for  a  possible  annotation  in  v. 
6  (which  see),  is  perfectly  regular.  But  in  vv.  8b-i6,  Deuter- 
onomic  regularity  and  phrases  are  lacking  except  in  the  words 
so  that  Israel  was  sore  distressed  (9b)  and  the  children  of  Israel 
cried  unto  the  Lord  (loa),  hence  we  have  here  in  all  probability 

III 


10  :  6  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


the  Ashtaroth,  and  the  gods  of  ^  Syria,  and  the  gods  of 
Zidon,  and  the  gods  of  Moab,  and  the  gods  of  the  chil- 

1  Heb.  Aram. 


the  work  of  the  priestly  editor  (R^).  He  has  added  to  the  Deu- 
teronomic  introduction  not  only  his  own  annotations,  but  some 
earlier  introductory  material  (of  E^)  taken  from  JE,  especially 
vv.  10-16  in  the  main.  With  chap.  11  commences  the  story 
proper  of  Jephthah.  In  this  is  a  striking  discrepancy.  After  the 
call  of  Jephthah  (given  in  11  :  i-ii)  comes  his  message  to  the  king 
of  Ammon  (11:  12-28).  But  the  message  itself  was  plainly  not 
originally  addressed  to  the  king  of  Ammon,  but  to  the  king  of 
Moab.  Chemosh  in  v.  24  is  the  god  of  the  Moabites  and  not  of 
the  Ammonites.  Balak  in  v.  25,  as  there  stated,  is  the  king  of 
Moab.  The  towns  mentioned  in  v.  26  anciently  belonged  to 
the  Moabites  (cf.  Num.  21 :  26  flf.).  All  the  historical  recapitula- 
tion of  these  verses  was  originally  concerning  Moab,  and  the 
passage  has  been  plainly  harmonized  to  the  circumstances  of  a 
war  with  the  Ammonites  by  substituting  Ammon  for  Moab  in 
vv.  12,  13,  14,  27,  28  and  by  adding  in  v.  15  nor  the  land  of  the 
children  of  Ammon.  Hence  this  section  is  either  the  insertion 
and  adaptation  of  material  originally  foreign  to  the  story  of 
Jephthah  or  else  two  different  traditions  are  embedded  in  the 
narrative.  Suggestions  of  this  appear  elsewhere :  Jephthah's 
residence  in  11 :  3  is  at  Tob,  but  in  11  :  34  at  Mizpah;  the  war  in 
11:30-31  is  a  single  campaign,  but  in  12:2  of  considerable 
duration ;  certain  verses  seem  out  of  place  in  their  present  context 
e.g.  II :  lib,  29,  33.  We  have,  then,  as  the  preferable  conclusion, 
although  there  is  not  much  choice  between  them,  two  Jephthah 
narratives.  According  to  one,  a  fugitive  son  of  a  harlot  is  sum- 
moned to  Gilead  to  deliver  the  land  from  the  Ammonites,  which 
he  does,  and  then  inflicts  a  crushing  defeat  upon  the  complaining 
Ephraimites  (11  :  i-iia,  29,  33 ;  12  :  1-6).  According  to  the  other 
account  Jephthah  lives  at  Mizpah  in  Gilead.  In  a  war  with  the 
Moabites,  having  fruitlessly  endeavored  to  ward  off  the  conflict 
by  an  embassy,  he  makes  a  fatal  vow  in  the  event  of  securing 
victory.  He  conquers  and  by  the  term  of  his  vow  he  must 
sacrifice   his  only  child  to  Jehovah    (11:  iib-28,  30-32,  34-40). 

112 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  io:8 


dren  of  Ammon,  and  the  gods  of  the  PhiUstines ;   and   R" 

7.  they  forsook  the  Lord,  and  served  him  not.  And  the 
anger  of  the  Lord  was  kindled  against  Israel,  and  he 
sold  them  into  the  hand  of  the  Philistines,  and  into  the 

8.  hand  of  the  children  of  Ammon.  And  they  vexed  and 
oppressed  the  children  of  Israel  that  year:  eighteen 
years  oppressed  they  all  the  children  of  Israel  that  were  R^ 

The  compiler  retained  the  victory  over  the  Ammonites  because 
the  Moabites  had  already  in  his  narratives  suffered  defeat  at  the 
hand  of  Ehud.  While  the  grounds  for  assigning  either  narrative 
to  J  or  E  are  not  very  decisive,  to  E  is  assigned  the  second 
because  the  material  of  the  messages  to  the  king  of  Moab  (11 :  12- 
28)  is  derived  from  the  narratives  of  E  in  Numbers  (20:14; 
21 :  21-27),  and  the  story  of  the  sacrifice  of  the  only  child  is 
parallel  to  that  of  Abraham's  sacrifice  of  Isaac  (Gen.  22)  also 
from  E.  The  first  narrative  then  would  come  from  J,  to  which 
as  a  writing  of  the  southern  kingdom  naturally  belongs  the  story 
of  the  disastrous  defeat  of  the  Ephraimites. 

6.  Baalim  and  the  Ashtaroth.  Cf.  2:  n,  13.  And  the  gods 
of  Syria,  etc.  The  editor  who  introduced  this  catalogue  wished 
to  illustrate  the  Baalim  and  the  Ashtaroth. 

7.  Into  the  hand  of  the  Philistines.  The  introduction  is  thus 
designed  not  simply  for  the  story  of  Jephthah  but  also  for  that  of 
Samson  (cf.  13  :  i).  But  the  words  are  out  of  place  preceding  the 
reference  to  Ammon  and  hence  are  probably  a  gloss.  The 
children  of  Amnion.  The  reputed  descendants  of  Lot  (Gen. 
19:38).  Their  territory  was  east  of  the  eastern  tribes  of  Israel 
with  Rabbah-ammon  as  their  chief  city.  Both  Saul  and  David 
contended  with  them  (i  Sam.  ii:i-ii;  2  Sam.  10:1-14;  12: 
26-31).  They  are  frequently  mentioned  by  the  prophets 
(Amos.  1:13;  Zeph.  2:8;  Jer.  49  :  1-6 ;  Ezek.  25  :  1-7),  and  their 
general  attitude  was  that  of  hostility  towards  Israel. 

8.  That  Year.  These  words  are  meaningless  in  their  present 
connection.  They  are  from  the  earUer  narrative  which  probably 
mentioned  a  single  catastrophe  and  not  a  long  oppression.  Eigh- 
teen years.  This  chronological  statement  is  from  the  Deuter- 
onomic  editor.     Omitting  that  year,  read,    And   they   vexed  and 

I  113 


10  19  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


beyond  Jordan  in  the  land  of  the  Amorites,  which  is  in 
9.   Gilead.     And  the  children  of  Ammon  passed  over  Jor- 
dan to  fight  also  against  Judah,  and  against  Benjamin, 
R°  and  against  the  house  of  Ephraim ;  so  that  Israel  was 

10.  sore  distressed.    And  the  children  of  Israel  cried  unto 
E2  the   Lord,  saying.   We    have    sinned  against   thee, 

even  because  we  have  forsaken  our  God,  and  have 

11.  served  the  Baalim.     And  the  Lord  said  unto  the 
children  of  Israel,  Did  not  /  save  you  from  the  Egyp- 

RP  tians,  and  from  the  Amorites,  from  the  children  of 

12.  Ammon,  and  from  the  PhiUstines?    The  Zidonians 
£2  also,  and  the  Amalekites,  and  the  ^  Maonites,  did  op- 
press you ;  and  ye  cried  unto  me,  and  I  saved  you  out 

1  The  Sept.  has,  Midianites. 

oppressed  the  children  of  Israel  eighteen  years,  all  the  children  of 
Israel  that  were  beyond  Jordan  in  the  land  of  the  A  morites  which  is 
Gilead.  In  the  land  of  the  Amorites.  The  land  which  had 
been  taken  by  Israel  from  the  Amorites  (cf.  11:  19-23;  Num. 
21 :  21-26).  Gilead.  Usually  the  territory  north  of  Moab  ex- 
tending from  Heshbon  to  the  Yarmuk,  sometimes  the  country 
as  far  south  as  the  Arnon ;  here  the  east  Jordanic  possessions  of 
Israel. 

9.  Nothing  elsewhere  in  the  narrative  reveals  the  presence 
of  the  Ammonites  west  of  the  Jordan.  Indeed  their  aggression 
is  plainly  confined  to  Gilead.  Hence  we  have  here  as  well  as  in 
8b  the  gloss  of  a  later  editor  who  desired  to  heighten  the  op- 
pression of  the  Ammonites. 

II  f.  The  list  of  oppressors  following  the  Egyptians  is  a  strange 
medley  given  upon  no  principle  of  order  or  of  history  beyond 
that  of  a  certain  contact  with  Israel,  and  is  probably  from  the 
priestly  editor  (R^).  The  children  of  Ammon  are  derived  from 
the  story  of  Jephthah,  the  Philistines  from  the  story  of  Samson 
and  the  narratives  of  Saul  and  David.  The  Amalekites  are 
mentioned  with  the  Midianites  in  the  story  of  Gideon  (6 :  3,  :i2>)' 

114 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  lo  :  i8 


13.  of  their  hand.     Yet  ye  have  forsaken  me,  and  served 

14.  other  gods :  wherefore  I  will  save  you  no  more.  Go 
and  cry  unto  the  gods  which  ye  have  chosen;    let 

15.  them  save  you  in  the  time  of  your  distress.  And  the 
children  of  Israel  said  unto  the  Lord,  We  have  sinned : 
do  thou  unto  us  whatsoever  seemeth  good  unto  thee ; 

16.  only  deliver  us,  we  pray  thee,  this  day.  And  they 
put  away  the  strange  gods  from  among  them,  and 
served  the  Lord  :  and  his  soul  was  grieved  for  the 
misery  of  Israel. 

17.  Then  the  children  of  Ammon  were  gathered  together,   BP 
and  encamped  in  Gilead.     And  the  children  of  Israel 
assembled    themselves    together,    and    encamped   in 

18.  Mizpah.  And  the  people,  the  princes  of  Gilead,  said 
one  to  another.  What  man  is  he  that  will  begin  to 
fight  against  the  children  of  Ammon?  he  shall  be 
head  over  all  the  inhabitants  of  Gilead. 

But  the  Amorites,  although  conquered  by  Israel  (cf.  v.  8),  never 
oppressed  them.  Neither  also  did  the  Zidonians,  the  inhabitants 
of  Zidon,  a  city  on  the  coast  north  of  Tyre,  who  represent  the 
Phoenicians ;  nor  the  Maonites,  the  inhabitants  of  Maon,  a  city 
south  of  the  Dead  Sea,  who  appear  in  Chronicles  as  enemies  of  the 
kings  of  Judah  (cf.  2  Chron.  20:1;  26:7).  Some,  however, 
remembering  the  story  of  Gideon,  substitute,  after  certain  Greek 
versions,  Midianites  for  Maonites.  The  Hebrew  text  of  v.  11  is 
slightly  corrupt  and  the  construction  of  the  two  verses  should 
be  made  uniform.  Did  not  the  Egyptians  and  the  Amorites  .  .  . 
and  the  Maonites  oppress  you? 

14.    Cf.Jer.  2:28;   Deut.  32  :  37. 

17  f.  The  close  of  the  Deuteronomic  introduction.  The 
substance  is  drawn  from  the  following  narrative.  Mizpah. 
Not  the  Mizpah  in  Benjamin  frequently  mentioned  (cf.  20:  21; 
I  Sam.  7:5  ff. ;  10:  17),  but  one  not  identified  in  Gilead  (cf. 
II :  II,  29,  34;  Hos.  5  :  i).     Many  places  might  bear  the  name, 

115 


II  :  I  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


J  11.       Now  Jephthah  the  Gileadite  was  a  mighty  man  of 
R  valour,  and  he  was  the  son  of  an  harlot :   and  Gilead 

2.  begat  Jephthah.  And  Gilead's  wife  bare  him  sons; 
and  when  his  wife's  sons  grew  up,  they  drave  out 
Jephthah,  and  said  unto  him.  Thou  shalt  not  inherit 
in  our  father's  house ;   for  thou  art  the  son  of  another 

3.  woman.  Then  Jephthah  fled  from  his  brethren,  and 
dwelt  in  the  land  of  Tob :  and  there  were  gathered 
vain  fellows  to  Jephthah,  and  they  went  out  with  him. 

4.  And  it  came  to  pass  after  a  while,  that  the  children  of 

which  indicates  an  eminence,  meaning  outlook-point,  watch- 
post  (cf.  Gen.  31 :  49). 

II :  i-ii.  The  story  of  the  call  of  Jephthah  through  the  summons 
of  the  elders  of  Gilead  for  assistance  in  their  war  with  the  Ammonites 
is  in  striking  contrast  to  that  of  the  call  of  Gideon  so  fraught  with 
marvels  (6 :  11  ff.)-  The  whole  narrative  in  its  freedom  from 
wonders  bears  the  marks  of  an  early  authentic  tale  of  history. 

I.  The  son  of  an  harlot.  Jephthah's  birth  was  far  less  honor- 
able than  that  of  Abimelech,  who  was  the  son  of  a  concubine 
(8:31),  because  the  son  of  a  harlot  would  be  fatherless.  And 
Gilead  begat  Jephthah.  The  personification  of  a  land  as  a  father 
with  the  verb  begat  is  a  late  usage.  Hence  this  sentence  and  also 
the  following  verse  are  late  glosses,  arising  from  a  misinterpreta- 
tion of  the  adjective  Gileadite  (v.  i)  and  the  words  his  brethren 
(v.  3)  and  the  sentence  Did  ye  not  hate  me  and  drive  me  out  of  my 
father's  house  (v.  7). 

3.  His  brethren.  Not  the  sons  of  his  father,  who  was  unknown, 
but  his  countrymen,  members  of  his  mother's  tribe.  Tob. 
Mentioned  also  in  2  Sam.  10  :  6,  a  region  north  or  northeast  of  Gilead. 
Its  exact  situation  is  unknown.  And  there  were  gathered  vain 
fellows,  etc.  Driven  from  home  Jephthah  took  to  the  life  of  a 
freebooter,  even  as  David,  when  compelled  to  flee  from  Saul, 
and  led  a  band  of  needy  and  reckless  men  with  whom  he  made 
forays  (cf.  i  Sam.  22  :  i  f. ;    23  :  1-5  ;    25 ;  27  :  2). 

4.  After  a  while.  Some  time  after  Jephthah  had  been  forced 
into  exile. 

116 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


5.  Ammon  made  war  against  Israel.  And  it  was  so,  that 
when  the  children  of  Ammon  made  war  against  Israel, 
the  elders  of  Gilead  went  to  fetch  Jephthah  out  of  the 

6.  land  of  Tob  :  and  they  said  unto  Jephthah,  Come  and 
be  our  chief,  that  we  may  fight  with  the  children  of 

7.  Ammon.  And  Jephthah  said  unto  the  elders  of  Gil- 
ead, Did  not  ye  hate  me,  and  drive  me  out  of  my 
father's  house  ?  and  why  are  ye  come  unto  me  now  when 

8.  ye  are  in  distress  ?  And  the  elders  of  Gilead  said  unto 
Jephthah,  Therefore  are  we  turned  again  to  thee  now, 
that  thou  mayest  go  with  us,  and  fight  with  the  children 
of  Ammon,  and  thou  shalt  be  our  head  over  all  the  in- 

9.  habitants  of  Gilead.  And  Jephthah  said  unto  the 
elders  of  Gilead,  If  ye  bring  me  home  again  to  fight 
with  the  children  of  Ammon,  and  the  Lord  deliver  them 

10.   before  me,  shall  I  be  your  head  ?    And  the  elders  of 
Gilead  said  unto  Jephthah,  The  Lord  shall  be  ^  wit- 

^  Heb.  hearer. 

5.  The  elders.  The  heads  of  families  or  clans,  those  upon 
whom  the  conduct  of  the  war  devolved. 

6.  Come  and  be  our  chief.  The  invitation  is  to  an  extraor- 
dinary authority,  a  kind  of  dictatorship. 

7.  Jephthah  meets  the  invitation  to  leadership  with  a  refer- 
ence to  his  banishment.  The  elders  had  no  reason  to  expect  help 
from  him. 

8.  Therefore  are  we  turned  again  to  thee  now.  The  elders 
admit  the  charge  that  they  had  banished  Jephthah.  Therefore 
they  have  turned  to  him  now  and  seek  to  make  him  their  leader, 
that  thus  the  past  may  be  forgotten  or  righted. 

9.  Shall  I  be  yoiir  head?  A  question  is  not  required  by  the 
Hebrew  text.  Better  to  translate  /  shall  he  your  head.  Jephthah 
repeats  the  proposition  that  there  may  be  no  misunderstanding. 

10.  The  agreement  is  solemnly  ratified  by  an  appeal  to  Je- 

117 


Ii:il  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


ness  between  us ;  surely  according  to  thy  word  so  will 

11.  we  do.  Then  Jephthah  went  with  the  elders  of  Gilead, 
and  the  people  made  him  head  and  chief  over  them : 
and  Jephthah  spake  all  his  words  before  the  Lord  in 
Mizpah. 

12.  And  Jephthah  sent  messengers  unto  the  king  of  the 
children  of  Ammon,  saying,  What  hast  thou  to  do  with 
me,  that  thou  art  come  unto  me  to  fight  against  my 

13.  land?  And  the  king  of  the  children  of  Ammon 
answered  unto  the  messengers  of  Jephthah,  Because 

hovah  as  a  witness.  He  will  see  to  it  that  the  elders  shall  keep 
their  word  (cf.  Gen.  31 :  49  f.). 

II.   And  the  people  made  him  head  and  chief  over  them. 

This  was  presumably  done  by  an  assembly  at  Mizpah.  And 
Jephthah  spake  all  his  words  before  the  Lord  in  Mizpah.     The 

reference  is  to  Jephthah's  vow  related  in  vv.  30  f.  This  vow  was 
made  at  the  sanctuary  of  Jehovah  at  Mizpah  (cf.  10:  17). 

12-28.  Jephthah  demands  of  the  king  of  Ammon  his  reason  for 
warring  against  Gilead  (v.  12).  The  king  of  Ammon  replies  that 
when  the  people  of  Israel  came  out  of  Egypt  they  seized  the  terri- 
tory of  the  Ammonites  extending  from  the  Arnon  unto  the  Jabbok, 
and  now  they  should  even  restore  peaceably  that  territory  (v.  13). 
To  this  Jephthah  replies  that  the  people  of  Israel  had  not  taken 
this  land  from  the  Ammonites,  but  from  the  Amorites,  who  had 
forcibly  opposed  the  peaceable  passage  of  Israel  through  the  land, 
and  therefore  had  Jehovah  delivered  the  Amorites  into  the  hand 
of  Israel,  who  thus  became  possessed  of  this  territory.  The 
Ammonites  then  should  not  seek  to  deprive  Israel  of  the  fruit  of 
their  conquest.  Even  as  the  Ammonites  held  that  which  their 
god  (Chemosh)  had  given  them,  so  Israel  rightly  held  whatever 
Jehovah  had  given  them.  Moreover  Israel  had  possessed  this 
land  for  three  hundred  years,  and  the  Ammonites  had  not  re- 
claimed it  during  that  period.  The  king  of  Ammon  then  was  in 
the  wrong. 

As  already  mentioned,  this  message  was  originally  composed 
as  an  address  to  the  king  of  Moab.     The  land  in  question,  from 

118 


THE   BOOK   OF  JUDGES  II 

Israel  took  away  my  land,  when  he  came  up  out  of 
Egypt,  from  Arnon  even  unto  Jabbok,  and  unto  Jor- 
dan :   now  therefore  restore  those  lands  again  peace- 

14.  ably.     And  Jephthah  sent  messengers  again  unto  the 

15.  king  of  the  children  of  Ammon :  and  he  said  unto  him, 
Thus  saith  Jephthah :  Israel  took  not  away  the  land  of 

the  Arnon  to  the  Jabbok  according  to  Num.  21:24,  had  origi- 
nally belonged  to  the  Moabites  who  had  been  dispossessed  by 
the  Amorites,  who  forced  them  to  dwell  south  of  the  river  Arnon. 
The  Moabites  might  well  have  laid  claim  to  the  land  of  Gilead 
as  their  ancient  possession,  and  Jephthah's  reply  to  them  would 
have  been  appropriate  :  to  wit,  that  Israel  had  it  by  right  of  con- 
quest as  a  gift  from  Jehovah,  even  as  Moab  had  their  present 
territory  as  a  gift  from  Chemosh  their  god,  and  moreover  their 
ancient  king  Balak  the  son  of  Zippor,  who  reigned  when  Israel 
took  this  territory  from  the  Amorites,  never  fought  with  Israel 
to  regain  this  territory,  neither  had  any  of  their  kings  during 
three  hundred  years  asserted  a  claim  for  it.  All  this  could  have 
been  fitly  said  to  a  king  of  Moab,  but  not,  as  far  as  we  are  aware, 
to  a  king  of  Ammon.  The  conquest  of  Israel  on  their  entrance 
into  Canaan  extended  to  the  border  of  Ammon,  but  no  further 
(Num.  21 :  24).  According  to  Deut.  2  :  19,  Israel  was  not  to  have 
the  land  of  Ammon  for  their  possession.  The  home  of  Ammon 
bordered  Gilead  on  the  east. 

13.  Arnon.  Modern  Wady  Mojib,  a  valley  with  a  stream 
emptying  into  the  middle  of  the  Dead  Sea  on  the  east.  The  valley 
is  about  seventeen  hundred  feet  deep  and  some  two  miles  across 
at  the  top,  with  only  a  narrow  width  of  a  few  hundred  feet  at  the 
bottom.  Like  an  enormous  trench  cutting  across  the  plain  east  of 
the  Dead  Sea,  it  served  as  a  natural  boundary  line.  The  Jabbok 
is  f  orty-five'miles  north  of  the  Arnon,  emptying  into  the  Jordan.  It 
bisected  the  territory  of  Israel  east  of  the  Jordan.  Its  valley  is 
very  fertile.  And  unto  Jordan.  I.e.  the  western  boundary  of  this 
disputed  territory  was  the  river  Jordan. 

15.  According  to  Deut.  2:9,  19  the  children  of  Israel  were 
commanded  as  they  approached  the  land  of  Canaan  not  to  molest 
either  the  Moabites  or  the  Ammonites. 

119 


Ii:i6  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


i6.  Moab,  nor  the  land  of  the  children  of  Ammon:  but 
when  they  came  up  from  Egypt,  and  Israel  walked 
through  the  wilderness  unto  the  Red  Sea,  and  came  to 

17.  Kadesh;  then  Israel  sent  messengers  unto  the  king  of 
Edom,  saying.  Let  me,  I  pray  thee,  pass  through  thy 
land:  but  the  king  of  Edom  hearkened  not.  And 
in  like  manner  he  sent  unto  the  king  of  Moab:   but 

18.  he  would  not :  and  Israel  abode  in  Kadesh.  Then  he 
walked  through  the  wilderness,  and  compassed  the  land 
of  Edom,  and  the  land  of  Moab,  and  came  by  the  east 
side  of  the  land  of  Moab,  and  they  pitched  on  the  other 
side  of  Arnon ;  but  they  came  not  within  the  border 

19.  of  Moab,  for  Arnon  was  the  border  of  Moab.  And 
Israel  sent  messengers  unto  Sihon  king  of  the  Amorites, 
the  king  of  Heshbon ;  and  Israel  said  unto  him.  Let 
us  pass,  we  pray  thee,  through  thy  land  unto  my  place. 

20.  But  Sihon  trusted  not  Israel  to  pass  through  his 

16.  Through  the  wilderness  unto  the  Red  Sea.  These  words 
admit  of  no  satisfactory  explanation.  One  would  expect,  front 
the  Red  Sea  through  the  wilderness.  Kadesh.  Often  called  Ka- 
desh-barnea,  the  modern  Ain-kadis,  fifty  miles  south  of  Beersheba ; 
according  to  the  narrative  of  Numbers  (JE)  (cf.  Num.  20:  1-21 ; 
Deut.  I  :  46),  it  was  the  rallying  centre  of  the  children  of  Israel  dur- 
ing thirty-eight  years  of  their  sojourn  in  the  wilderness. 

17.  The  account  of  this  message  unto  the  king  of  Edom  is 
given  in  Num.  20:  14-21,  but  nowhere  is  there  mention  of  such 
message  unto  the  king  of  Moab. 

18.  Israel,  receiving  no  permission  to  traverse  the  territory  of 
Edom  or  of  Moab,  encompassed  Edom  on  the  south  and  Moab 
on  the  east  until  they  moved  westward  and  came  to  the  land  of 
the  Amorites  to  the  north  of  the  Arnon  (cf.  Num.  21 :  iib-13). 

19  ff.  The  message  to  Sihon  and  his  conquest  are  related 
in  Num.  21:  21-24  and  Deut.  2:  24-37.  Heshbon.  Modern 
Heshban,  sixteen  miles  east  of  the  Jordan,  and  slightly  north  in  lati- 

120 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  ii 

border:    but  Sihon  gathered  all  his  people  together, 
and   pitched   in   Jahaz,   and   fought   against   Israel 

21.  And  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  delivered  Sihon  and 
all  his  people  into  the  hand  of  Israel,  and  they  smote 
them :  so  Israel  possessed  all  the  land  of  the  Amorites, 

22.  the  inhabitants  of  that  country.  And  they  possessed 
all  the  border  of  the  Amorites,  from  Arnon  even  unto 
Jabbok,  and  from  the  wilderness  even  unto  Jordan. 

23.  So  now  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  hath  dispossessed 
the  Amorites  from  before  his  people  Israel,  and  should- 

24.  est  thou  possess  them?  Wilt  not  thou  possess  that 
which  Chemosh  thy  god  giveth  thee  to  possess? 
So  whomsoever  the  Lord  our  God  hath  dispossessed 

tude  from  the  northern  extremity  of  the  Dead  Sea.  Jahaz. 
Exact  site  is  unknown,  but  from  references  (cf.  Num.  21:23; 
Deut.  1:2;  Josh.  13:18;  21 :  36 ;  Isa.  15:4;  Jer.  48  :  21,  34) 
it  was  not  far  north  of  the  Arnon  and  near  the  wilderness  on 
the  east. 

22.  Cf.  V.  13,  where  the  same  boundaries  are  given  except 
that  here  the  eastern  boundary  is  mentioned,  i.e.  the  wilderness. 
In  Num.  21 :  24  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  kingdom  of  Sihon  is 
the  children  of  Amman.  Here  then  they  are  either  ignored  or 
placed  in  the  wilderness,  i.e.  the  desert  east  of  Palestine. 

23  f.  These  two  verses  state  first  that  conquered  territory  is 
obtained  through  the  gift  of  the  god  of  the  conquering  people, 
and  secondly  that  such  a  right  of  possession  should  be  respected, 
whether  it  comes  through  Chemosh  or  Jehovah.  Israel  should  be 
left  in  undisturbed  possession  of  Gilead,  even  as  the  Ammonites 
(Moabites)  would  claim  the  right  to  possess  their  own  land  in 
peace.  (Chemosh  was  the  god  of  the  Moabites,  hence  as  men- 
tioned they  were  the  original  subject  of  this  passage.  The  god 
of  the  Ammonites  was  Milcom.)  The  teaching  here  is  that  Moab 
was  of  the  people  of  Chemosh  just  as  Israel  was  of  Jehovah.  On  the 
inscription  of  Mesha  king  of  Moab  we  read  of  the  oppression  of 
Moab  by  Israel  owing  to  the  anger  of  Chemosh;    of  the  restora- 

121 


I  :  25  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


25.  from  before  us,  them  will  we  possess.  And  now  art 
thou  any  thing  better  than  Balak  the  son  of  Zippor, 
king  of  Moab?   did  he  ever  strive  against  Israel,  or 

26.  did  he  ever  fight  against  them?  While  Israel  dwelt 
in  Heshbon  and  her  ^  towns,  and  in  Aroer  and  her 
^  towns,  and  in  all  the  cities  that  are  along  by  the  side 

R^/E  of  Arnon,  three  hundred  years;    wherefore  did  ye 

27.  not  recover  them  within  that  time  ?  I  therefore  have 
not  sinned  against  thee,  but  thou  doest  me  wrong  to 
war  against  me :  the  Lord,  the  Judge,  be  judge  this 
day  between  the  children  of  Israel  and  the  children  of 

28.  Ammon.  Howbeit  the  king  of  the  children  of  Ammon 
hearkened  not  unto  the  words  of  Jephthah  which  he 
sent  him. 

1  Heb.  daughters. 

tion  to  Moab  through  Chemosh  of  territory  conquered  by  Israel ; 
of  the  command  to  the  king  of  Moab  by  Chemosh  to  war  against 
Israel.  Chemosh  thus  stands  to  the  Moabites  exactly  in  the  same 
relation  as  Jehovah  is  represented  in  the  Old  Testament  as  stand- 
ing to  Israel.  Such  a  belief  in  the  reality  and  power  of  the  gods  of 
other  peoples  as  expressed  here  by  Jephthah  was  common  in  early 
Israel  (cf.  2  Kgs.  3:27).  But  later  through  the  teachings  of 
the  prophets  these  gods  were  esteemed  as  things  of  nought. 

2$.  Balak  the  son  of  Zippor.  The  king  who  reigned  in  Moab 
at  the  time  of  Israel's  conquest  of  Gilead  (cf.  Num.  22:  2  £f.). 
The  argument  is  that  Balak  the  great  king  of  the  past  did  not 
endeavor  to  conquer  this  territory  from  Israel  and  how  much  less 
then  should  the  present  inferior  king  of  Ammon  (Moab)  engage 
in  such  an  undertaking. 

26.  Heshbon  (cf.  v.  19)  and  her  towns.  I.e.  and  the  villages 
governed  from  Heshbon.  Aroer.  Modern  Arair  on  the  northern 
bank  of  the  Arnon.  Three  hundred  years.  A  round  number.  The 
sum,  however,  of  the  years  of  oppression  and  rest  recorded  up  to 
the  oppression  of  the   Ammonites  equals  301    (see  p.  16).     This 

122 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


29.  Then  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  came  upon  Jephthah,  J 
and  he  passed  over  Gilead  and  Manasseh,  and  passed  RJ^ 
over  Mizpeh  of  Gilead,  and  from  Mizpeh  of  Gilead  he  J 

30.  passed  over  unto  the  children  of  Ammon.    And  Jeph-  E 
thah  vowed  a  vow  unto  the  Lord,  and  said,  If  thou 
wilt  indeed  deliver  the  children  of  Ammon  into  mine 

31.  hand,  then  it  shall  be,  that  ^  whatsoever  cometh  forth 
of  the  doors  of  my  house  to  meet  me,  when  I  return  in 
peace  from  the  children  of  Ammon,  it  shall  be  the 

32.  Lord's,  and  I  will  offer  it  up  for  a  burnt  offering.  So 
Jephthah  passed  over  unto  the  children  of  Ammon 
to  fight  against  them ;   and  the  Lord  delivered  them 


Or,  whosoever. 


may  then  be  the  source  of  the  300.  In  that  case  the  generation 
of  Joshua  and  the  elders  succeeding  him  is  ignored;  and,  since 
Abimelech  and  the  two  minor  judges  Tola  and  J  air  are  included 
in  the  reckoning,  the  three  hundred  years  must  be  a  gloss  from  the 
priestly  editor. 

29.  This  verse  properly  follows  v.  iia.  The  spirit  of  the  Lord 
came  upon  Jephthah  (cf.  3:10)  after  he  had  been  chosen  head  and 
chief,  and  then  he  passed  over  Gilead  and  Manasseh  collecting 
his  army,  and  then  he  passed  over  unto  the  children  of  Ammon. 
The  intervening  words  about  Mizpah  are  from  the  compiler 
RJ^.  Manasseh.  The  tribe  of  Manasseh  dwelt  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  east-Jordanic  territory  of  Israel. 

30.  And  Jephthah  vowed  a  vow.  For  other  examples  of  vows 
see  those  of  Jacob  (Gen.  28:20-22),  Hannah  (i  Sam.  i:ii), 
and  Absalom  (2  Sam.  15  :  7  f.). 

31.  Whatsoever  cometh  forth  of  the  doors  of  my  house  .  . 

I  will  ofifer  it  up  for  a  burnt  offering.  Instead  of  whatsoever  and 
//we  should  read,  as  in  the  margin,  whosoever  and  hifn.  Jephthah 
will  ofifer  as  a  burnt  offering  unto  Jehovah  the  first  person  who 
will  come  forth  from  his  house  to  meet  him,  i.e.  some  one  of  his 
own  household.     Whom  it  should  be  is  left  for  Jehovah  by  the 

123 


II  :  33  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


J  33.  into  his  hand.  And  he  smote  them  from  Aroer  until 
thou  come  to  Minnith,  even  twenty  cities,  and  unto 
^  Abel-cheramim,  with  a  very  great  slaughter.  So  the 
children  of  Ammon  were  subdued  before  the  children 
of  Israel. 

E  34.  And  Jephthah  came  to  Mizpah  unto  his  house, 
and,  behold,  his  daughter  came  out  to  meet  him 
with  timbrels  and  with  dances :  and  she  was  his 
only   child;    beside    her    he    had    neither    son    nor 

35.  daughter.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  saw  her, 
that  he  rent  his  clothes,  and  said,  Alas,  my  daughter  ! 
thou  hast  brought  me  very  low,  and  thou  art  one 
of  them  that   trouble  me:   for  I  have   opened   my 

36.  mouth  unto  the  Lord,  and  I  cannot  go  back.    And 

1  That  is,  The  meadow  of  vineyards. 

event  to  determine.  Human  sacrifices  were  not  unknown  nor 
abhorred,  though  probably  quite  rare  in  early  Israel,  as  the  story 
of  Abraham's  sacrifice  of  Isaac  (Gen.  22)  and  the  question  of  the 
prophet,  "  Shall  I  give  my  first-born  for  my  transgression" 
(Mic.  6 :  7)  show.  By  the  later  prophets  they  were  utterly  con- 
demned. 

2$.  Aroer.  Not  the  one  on  the  Arnon  (v.  26)  but  an  Aroer 
east  of  Rahhah  of  the  children  of  Ammon  mentioned  in  Josh.  13  :  25. 
Minnith,  Abel-cheramim.  The  locations  of  these  places  are  un- 
known. 

34.  With  timbrels  and  with  dances.  I.e.  dancing  to  the  ac- 
companiment of  tambourines  played  by  herself  and  the  dancing 
women  with  her.  It  was  customary  for  women  thus  to  celebrate 
victories  (cf.  Exod.  15  :  20;    i  Sam.  18:  6  f.). 

35.  He  rent  his  clothes.  An  expression  of  great  grief  (cf. 
Gen.  37:29;  2  Sam.  13:19,  31;  Job  1:20).  Thou  art  one 
of  them  that  trouble  me.  A  very  strong  expression  in  the 
original.  It  has  been  rendered,  "  Thou,  thou  art  become  my 
ruin." 

124 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  II 

she  said  unto  him,  My  father,  thou  hast  opened 
thy  mouth  unto  the  Lord;  do  unto  me  according 
to  that  which  hath  proceeded  out  of  thy  mouth; 
forasmuch  as  the  Lord  hath  taken  vengeance  for 
thee   of    thine   enemies,   even    of    the    children    of 

37.  Ammon.  And  she  said  unto  her  father,  Let  this 
thing  be  done  for  me :  let  me  alone  two  months,  that 
I  may  depart  and  go  down  upon  the  mountains,  and 

38.  bewail  my  virginity,  I  and  my  companions.  And  he 
said,  Go.  And  he  sent  her  away  for  two  months: 
and  she  departed,  she  and  her  companions,  and  be- 

39.  wailed  her  virginity  upon  the  mountains.  And  it 
came  to  pass  at  the  end  of  two  months,  that  she  re- 
turned unto  her  father,  who  did  with  her  according 
to  his  vow  which  he  had  vowed :    and  she  had  not 

40.  known  man.  And  it  was  ^  a  custom  in  Israel,  that  the 
daughters  of  Israel  went  yearly  to  ^  celebrate  the 
daughter  of  Jephthah  the  Gileadite  four  days  in  a 
year. 

1  Or,  an  ordinance.  *  Or,  lament. 

36.  A  verse  of  great  dramatic  force  in  revealing  the  resigna- 
tion and  heroic  disposition  of  Jephthah's  daughter. 

37.  Bewail  my  virginity.  That  I  am  to  die  unmarried  and 
thus  without  the  hope  of  children.  This  was  the  most  coveted 
possession  of  a  Hebrew  woman.  In  her  case,  since  she  was  an 
only  child  (v.  34),  it  meant  the  extinction  of  her  father's  house. 

39.  Who  did  with  her,  etc.  There  is  a  fine  reticence  in  the 
writer's  forbearance  in  giving  no  details  of  the  sacrifice.  She  had 
not  known  man.  She  died  a  virgin.  This  statement  emphasizes 
the  thought  of  v.  37. 

40.  To  celebrate.  Better  to  lament.  The  parallel  between 
Jephthah's  daughter  and  Iphigenia,  the  daughter  of  Agamemnon, 

125 


12  :  I  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


J  12.  And  the  men  of  Ephraim  were  gathered  together,  and 
passed  ^ northward;  and  they  said  unto  Jephthah, 
Wherefore  passedst  thou  over  to  fight  against  the 
children  of  Ammon,  and  didst  not  call  us  to  go  with 
thee?   we  will  burn  thine  house  upon  thee  with  fire. 

2.  And  Jephthah  said  unto  them,  I  and  my  people  were 
at  great  strife  with  the  children  of  Ammon ;  and  when 
I  called  you,  ye  saved  me  not  out  of   their  hand. 

3.  And  when  I  saw  that  ye  saved  me  not,  I  put  my  life 
in  my  hand,  and  passed  over  against  the  children  of 
Ammon,  and  the  Lord  delivered  them  into  my  hand : 
wherefore  then  are  ye  come  up  unto  me  this  day,  to 

4.  fight  against  me  ?  Then  Jephthah  gathered  together 
all  the  men  of  Gilead,  and  fought  with  Ephraim :  and 

R  the  men  of  Gilead  smote  Ephraim,  because  they  said, 

Ye  are  fugitives  of  Ephraim,  ye  Gileadites,  in  the  midst 

J     5.   of  Ephraim,  and  in  the  midst  of  Manasseh.     And  the 

^  Or,  to  Zaphon. 

who  according  to  one  legend  was  sacrificed  to  the  Greek  goddess 
Artemis,  has  been  often  pointed  out.  There  is  no  ground  for  the 
adoption  of  the  interpretation  that  Jephthah  did  not  really  sacrifice 
his  daughter,  but  that  her  fate  was  only  that  of  perpetual  virginity. 

I.  Northward.  A  movement  of  the  Ephraimites  in  this  direc- 
tion implies  that  certain  details  of  the  story  (of  J)  are  lacking. 
Otherwise  the  word  is  to  be  rendered  as  the  name  of  a  place, 
iinto  Zaphon,  mentioned  in  Josh.  13:27,  in  the  eastern  valley 
of  the  Jordan  near  Succoth  (cf.  8 :  5). 

4.  Because  they  said,  Ye  are  fugitives  of  Ephraim,  ye  Gil- 
eadites, in  the  midst  of  Ephraim,  and  in  the  midst  of  Manasseh. 
The  cause  of  the  battle,  according  to  the  natural  interpretation  of 
these  words,  is  the  insult  offered  to  the  Gileadites  in  the  declara- 
tion that  "  they  were  not  a  tribe,  but  a  crew  of  runagate  Ephra- 
imites ;    they  had  no  tribal  lands  of  their  own,  but  lived  by  suffer- 

126 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  12 


Gileadites  took  the  fords  of  Jordan  ^  against  the  Ephra- 
imites :  and  it  was  so,  that  when  any  of  the  fugitives 
of  Ephraim  said,  Let  me  go  over,  the  men  of  Gilead 
said  unto  him.  Art  thou  an  Ephraimite  ?     If  he  said, 

6.  Nay ;  then  said  they  unto  him,  Say  now  Shibboleth ; 
and  he  said  Sibboleth ;  for  he  could  not  frame  to  pro- 
nounce it  right ;  then  they  laid  hold  on  him,  and  slew 
him  at  the  fords  of  Jordan :  and  there  fell  at  that  time 
of  Ephraim  forty  and  two  thousand. 

7.  And  Jephthah  judged  Israel  six  years.     Then  died  R^ 
Jephthah  the  Gileadite,  and  was  buried  in  one  of 
the  cities  of  Gilead. 

1  Or,  toward  Ephraim. 

ance  in  the  territories  of  Ephraim  and  Manasseh."  But  ample 
cause  is  given  for  the  battle  in  vv.  1-3,  without  this  one,  and  the 
word  fugitives  in  Hebrew  does  not  lend  itself  to  the  interpretation 
of  runagates.  It  means  survivors,  those  who  have  escaped.  There 
was  nothing  also  in  the  situation  or  descent  of  the  Gileadites  to 
provoke  such  a  taunt.  The  sentence  is  plainly  then  a  gloss  which 
arose  from  a  copyist  wrongly  introducing  the  words  the  fugitives 
of  Ephraim  said  (later  expanded)  from  the  next  verse. 

5  f.  The  Ephraimites,  having  suffered  defeat,  turned  homeward 
in  flight  across  the  Jordan,  where  they  were  intercepted,  and  be- 
trayed by  their  pronunciation  of  the  word  Shibboleth,  beginning 
with  sh,  which  they  pronounced  sibboleth,  i.e.  with  s  (the  word 
means  an  ear  of  corn) ;  but  any  other  beginning  with  the  same  letter 
would  have  served  equally  as  well.  Such  a  ruse  to  detect  an 
enemy  has  often  been  successfully  tried.  "  In  the  Sicilian  Vespers, 
March  31,  1282,  the  French  were  made  to  betray  themselves  by 
their  pronunciation  of  ceci  e  ciceri;  those  who  pronounced  the  c 
as  in  French  {sesi  e  siseri)  were  hewn  down  on  the  spot."  Forty 
and  two  thousand.  From  a  historical  point  of  view  this  number 
is  an  exaggeration. 

7.  In  one  of  the  cities  of  Gilead.  An  impossible  translation. 
127 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


9.  Ibzan,  12  :  8-10 

RPorjE     8.       And  after  him  Ibzan  of  Beth-lehem  judged  Israel. 

9.   And  he  had  thirty  sons,  and  thirty  daughters  he  sent 

abroad,  and  thirty  daughters  he  brought  in  from  abroad 

for   his   sons.    And   he   judged  Israel   seven   years. 

10.  And  Ibzan  died,  and  was  buried  at  Beth-lehem. 

10.  Eton,  12  :  11-12 

RPorjE  ji^       And  after  him  Elon  the  Zebulunite  judged  Israel; 
12.   and  he  judged  Israel  ten  years.    And  Elon  the  Zebu- 
lunite died,  and  was  buried  in  Aijalon  in  the  land  of 
Zebulun. 


The  Hebrew  text  has  suffered  in  transcription.     Probably  the 
original  was  in  his  city  Mizpah  in  Gilead. 

8.  Ibzan  of  Beth-lehem.  The  Beth-lehem  here  mentioned  is  not 
Bethlehem  of  Judah,  the  city  of  David  which  is  distinguished  in 
Judges  and  Ruth  by  the  affix  Judah  (cf.  17:9;  19:1,  18;  Ruth  i  : 
I  f.),  but  Bethlehem  of  Zebulun,  mentioned  in  Josh.  19  :  15,  modern 
Beit  Lahm,  about  seven  miles  northwest  from  Nazareth. 
Ihzan  is  not  mentioned  elsewhere  in  the  Old  Testament  except 
as  Ezhon  in  i  Chron.  7  :  7.  (The  genealogy  of  i  Chron.  7  :  6  ff.  is 
when  properly  restored  that  of  Zebulun  and  not  of  Benjamin.) 
And  thirty  daughters  he  sent  abroad.  I.e.  he  made  marriages 
for  them  in  other  clans,  or  families,  and  in  a  similar  way  he  ob- 
tained wives  for  his  sons.  This  implies  that  Ibzan  was  a  person  of 
much  importance  with  whom  marriage  alliances  were  desirable. 
Regarding  Ibzan  as  originally  a  clan,  the  sons  and  daughters  are 
its  numerous  branches  and  connections.     (Cf.  the  sons  of  Jair, 

10:3-5-) 

11.  Elon.  In  Gen.  46  :  14  and  Num.  26  :  26  this  name  appears 
as  that  of  a  son  of  Zebulun,  i.e.  as  the  name  of  a  Zebulunite  clan. 

12.  Aijalon  in  the  land  of  Zebulun.  x\ijalon  is  only  another 
pronunciation  of  Elon.  In  Hebrew  the  consonantal  text  is  iden- 
tical.    The  site  of  the  place  is  unknown. 

128 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  13 


II.  Abdofij  12  :  13-15 

1 3 .  And  after  him  Abdon  the  son  of  Hillel  the  Pirathonite  R^  °'  ^ 

14.  judged  Israel.  And  he  had  forty  sons  and  thirty  sons' 
sons,  that  rode  on  threescore  and  ten  ass  colts:  and 

15.  he  judged  Israel  eight  years.  And  Abdon  the  son  of 
Hillel  the  Pirathonite  died,  and  was  buried  in  Pir- 
athon  in  the  land  of  Ephraim,  in  the  hill  country  of  the 
Amalekites. 

12.  Samson,  chaps.  13-16 

13.       And  the  children  of  Israel  again  did  that  which  was  rd 
evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  ;  and  the  Lord  deUvered 
them  into  the  hand  of  the  Philistines  forty  years. 

13.  Abdon.  The  name  occurs  also  in  the  genealogy  of  Ben- 
jamin (i  Chron.  8:  23,  30),  and  through  the  close  relationship  of 
the  tribes  of  Benjamin  and  Ephraim  there  may  be  a  connection 
between  its  occurrence  there  and  here,  since  Abdon's  home 
(v.  15)  was  in  the  territory  of  Ephraim.  This  Hillel  does  not  occur 
again  in  the  Old  Testament.  Pirathonite.  Of  Pirathon:  the 
home  also  of  Benaiah,  one  of  David's  mighty  men  (2  Sam.  23  : 
30).  Pirathon  has  been  identified  with  the  modern  Ferata,  six 
miles  southwest  from  Nablus,  but  it  is  possible  that  it  should 
rather  be  sought  farther  south  in  Benjamin. 

14.  The  mention  of  Abdon's  numerous  posterity  suggests  that, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  previous  minor  judges,  he  represented 
originally  a  clan.  Ass  colts.  These  were  honorable  riding  ani- 
mals (cf.  10 :  4). 

15.  Land  of  Ephraim.  The  central  tract  of  Western  Palestine, 
extending  from  the  plain  of  Esdraelon  on  the  north  to  Bethel  on 
the  south,  thus  including  the  territory  of  Benjamin.  In  the  hill 
country  of  the  Amalekites.  No  satisfactory  explanation  has  yet 
been  given  of  the  designation  of  a  section  of  the  land  of  Ephraim 
as  of  the  Amalekites  (cf.  6  :  3). 

Samson  as  a  judge  (chaps.  13-16)  stands   in  striking  contrast 
to  Ehud,  Barak,  Gideon  and  Jephthah.     He  is  no  leader  of  the 
K  129 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


2 .       And  there  was  a  certain  man  of  Zorah,  of  the  family  of 
the  Danites,  whose  name  was  Manoah ;   and  his  wife 


people  but  performs  his  exploits  single-handed.  His  narrative  also 
is  not  a  connected  tale  leading  to  one  great  event,  but  a  series  of 
independent  adventures  mostly  amours.  He  exhibits  no  set  pur- 
pose of  freeing  his  countrymen  from  their  oppressors,  but  the  injuries 
which  he  inflicts  upon  the  Philistines  are  in  return  for  personal 
wrongs.  His  career  thus  is  ill  adapted  to  convey  a  religious 
lesson,  but  he  was  too  striking  and  popular  a  character  to  be 
omitted  from  the  roll  of  Israel's  deliverers.  The  source  of  the 
stories  of  Samson  is  J. 

13  :  1-25.  This  narrative  with  its  divine  announcement  has 
points  of  likeness  with  the  call  of  Gideon.  It  probably  arose  from 
the  deep  impression  made  by  the  exploits  of  Samson  and  hence 
may  be  regarded  as  the  latest  of  the  tales  concerning 
him.  The  narrative  is  prefaced  with  the  Deuteronomic  intro- 
duction (v.  i).  The  angel  of  Jehovah,  unrecognized,  appears 
unto  the  barren  wife  of  the  Danite  Manoah,  and  promises  her  a 
son  whom  she  is  to  rear  as  a  Nazirite.  She  relates  this  unto  her 
husband  (vv.  2-7) .  In  response  to  the  request  of  Manoah  the  angel 
again  appears  and  instructs  Manoah  and  his  wife  how  to  bring 
up  the  child  (vv.  8-14).  Manoah  offers  the  angel  a  kid,  which 
he  accepts  only  as  a  burnt  offering  unto  Jehovah,  in  the  flame  of 
which  he  disappears  (vv.  15-20).  Manoah  and  his  wife  recognize 
the  divine  character  of  their  visitor  (vv.  21-23).  Samson  is 
born  and  endowed  with  the  spirit  of  Jehovah  (vv.  24-25). 

1.  The  brevity  of  this  Deuteronomic  introduction  is  to  be 
noted.  There  is  no  cry  of  Israel  unto  the  Lord  (cf,  3:9,  15; 
4:3;  6:6;  10:10).  Probably  the  writer  recognized  the  in- 
adequacy of  the  deliverance  wrought  by  Samson  and  shortened 
accordingly  his  introduction.     Philistines.     Cf.   3:31. 

2.  Zorah.  The  modern  Surah,  about  sixteen  miles  west  of  Jerusa- 
lem, on  the  northern  side  of  the  valley  of  Sorek,  on  the  line  of  the  rail- 
road to  Jaffa ;  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley  to  the  south  was 
Beth-shemesh.  Of  the  family  of  the  Danites.  The  tribe  of  Dan 
was  very  small,  consisting  of  only  a  single  clan  (Num.  26 :  42) ; 
only  one  son  is  assigned  to  Dan  (Gen.  46:  23).  The  original 
settlement  was  southwest  from  Jerusalem  in  the  vicinity  of  Zorah 

130 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  13 


was  barren,  and  bare  not.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord 
appeared  unto  the  woman,  and  said  unto  her,  Behold 
now,  thou  art  barren,  and  bearest  not:  but  thou 
shalt  conceive,  and  bear  a  son.  Now  therefore  be- 
ware, I  pray  thee,  and  drink  no  wine  nor  strong  drink, 
and  eat  not  any  unclean  thing:  for,  lo,  thou  shalt 
conceive,  and  bear  a  son ;  and  no  razor  shall  come  upon 
his  head :  for  the  child  shall  be  a  Nazirite  unto  God 


(cf.  1 :  34).  Later  the  tribe  sought  a  home  in  Northern  Palestine 
(cf.  18:1  f.).  Manoah.  This  name,  meaning  "rest,"  occurs 
only  in  this  story.  His  wife  was  barren.  As  were  Sarah, 
Rebekah,  Rachel,  the  mothers  of  the  patriarchs,  Hannah,  mother 
of  Samuel,  and  Elizabeth,  mother  of  John  the  Baptist.  A  child 
thus  born  was  regarded  a  peculiar  gift  of  God,  designed  for  some 
high  purpose. 

3.  The  angel  of  the  Lord.  A  manifestation  of  Jehovah  in 
a  human  form  (cf.  2  :  i ;  6  :  11). 

4.  Drink  no  wine  nor  strong  drink.  I.e.  all  intoxicating 
beverages,  whether  made  from  grapes  or  from  other  fruits  and 
grains.  Any  unclean  thing.  Forbidden  food  :  to  wit,  an  animal 
which  had  died  of  itself,  or  had  been  torn  by  wild  beasts,  or  any 
of  solid  hoof  or  which  did  not  chew  the  cud,  or  a  bird  of  prey, 
or  a  fish  without  scales,  or  insects,  except  the  locust  (cf.  Lev.  11 ; 
Deut.  14). 

5.  No  razor  shall  come  upon  his  head:  for  the  child  shall  be 
a  Nazirite.  A  Nazirite  was  one  consecrated  to  Jehovah  primarily 
through  uncut  hair  and  secondarily  through  the  abstinence  com- 
manded Manoah's  wife  and  avoiding  contact  with  the  dead  (cf. 
the  law,  which  is  late,  of  Num.  6).  These  latter  requirements 
do  not  seem  to  have  been  observed  by  Samson.  He  ate  honey 
defiled  by  a  carcass  and  thus  unclean  (14  :  8  f.),  and  he  entertained 
in  a  way  which  implies  the  use  of  liquor  (14:  10),  and  stripped 
the  bodies  of  the  dead  (14:  19).  The  hair  of  the  Nazirite  was 
left  uncut  as  a  sign  that  the  powers  of  life  were  not  being  inter- 
fered with,  but  were  wholly  given  to  deity.  No  other  lifelong 
Nazirites  except  Samson  and  perhaps  Samuel  (cf.  i  Sam.  i :  28) 

131 


13  : 6  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


from  the  womb :  and  he  shall  begin  to  save  Israel  out 

6.  of  the  hand  of  the  Philistines.  Then  the  woman  came 
and  told  her  husband,  saying,  A  man  of  God  came  unto 
me,  and  his  countenance  was  like  the  countenance  of 
the  angel  of  God,  very  terrible;   and  I  asked  him  not 

7.  whence  he  was,  neither  told  he  me  his  name :  but  he 
said  unto  me.  Behold,  thou  shalt  conceive,  and  bear  a 
son ;  and  now  drink  no  wine  nor  strong  drink,  and  eat 
not  any  unclean  thing :  for  the  child  shall  be  a  Nazirite 
imto  God  from  the  womb  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

8.  Then  Manoah  intreated  the  Lord,  and  said.  Oh  Lord,  I 
pray  thee,  let  the  man  of  God  whom  thou  didst  send 
come  again  unto  us,  and  teach  us  what  we  shall  do 

9.  unto  the  child  that  shall  be  born.  And  God  hearkened 
to  the  voice  of  Manoah ;  and  the  angel  of  God  came 
again  unto  the  woman  as  she  sat  in  the  field :  but  Ma- 

10.   noah  her  husband  was  not  with  her.    And  the  woman 
made  haste,  and  ran,  and  told  her  husband,  and  said 


clearly  appear  in  the  Old  Testament.  As  an  early  order  Nazirites 
are  mentioned  with  the  prophets  in  Amos  2:  11,  but  in  later 
periods  men  and  women  became  Nazirites  for  a  limited  time 
(Num.  6).  And  he  shall  begin  to  save  Israel  out  of  the  hand  of 
the  Philistines.  The  writer  sees  in  Samson  a  deliverer  or  judge, 
but  recognizes  the  incompleteness  of  his  work.  The  complete 
deliverance  of  Israel  from  the  Philistines  only  came  later,  accord- 
ing to  one  source  (E)  through  Samuel  (i  Sam.  7  :  13  f.),  according 
to  another  (J)  through  Saul  (i  Sam.  9:  16)  and  David. 

6.  Man  of  God.  The  ordinary  term  for  a  prophet,  a  person 
to  whom  God  made  revelations ;  thus  applied  to  Moses,  Samuel, 
Elijah,  Elisha,  and  others,  and  frequently  of  unknown  persons 
(cf.  I  Sam.  2:  27;  I  Kgs.  13:  i  ff. ;  2  Kgs.  23:16  f.).  Very 
terrible.  Exceedingly  awe-inspiring,  not  necessarily  an  object  of 
terror. 

132 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


unto  him,  Behold,  the  man  hath  appeared  unto  me  ' 

11.  that  came  unto  me  the  other  day.  And  Manoah 
arose,  and  went  after  his  wife,  and  came  to  the  man 
and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  the  man  that  spakest  unto 

12.  the  woman  ?    And  he  said,  I  am.     And  Manoah  said, 

1  Now  let  thy  words  come  to  pass :  what  shall  be  the 

2  manner  of  the  child,  and  ^  what  shall  he  his  work  ? 

13.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  said  unto  Manoah,  Of  all 

14.  that  I  said  unto  the  woman  let  her  beware.  She  may 
not  eat  of  any  thing  that  cometh  of  the  ^vine,  neither 
let  her  drink  wine  or  strong  drink,  nor  eat  any  unclean 
thing;    all  that  I  commanded  her  let  her  observe. 

15.  And  Manoah  said  unto  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  I  pray 
thee,  let  us  detain  thee,  that  we  may  make  ready  a 

16.  kid  for  thee.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  said  unto 
Manoah,  Though  thou  detain  me,  I  will  not  eat  of  thy 
bread :  and  if  thou  wilt  make  ready  a  burnt  offering, 
thou  must  offer  it  unto  the  Lord.     For  Manoah  knew 

1  Or,  Now  when  thy  words  come  to  pass,  what  &*c.         2  Or,  ordering.         »  Or,  how 
shall  we  do  unto  him.  *  Or,  grape-vine.     See  Num.  6 :  4. 

12.  Now  let  thy  words,  etc.  I.e.  when  thy  words  come  to  pass, 
how  shall  the  boy  be  brought  up  and  what  shall  he  do  ?  The 
following  verses  strangely  enough  do  not  answer  this  question, 
but  only  repeat  the  directions  already  given  to  the  mother  re- 
specting her  mode  of  life  in  anticipation  of  the  birth  of  the  child. 
The  prohibition  respecting  the  fruit  of  the  vine  is  amplified 
so  as  to  include  grapes  and  raisins  as  well  as  wine  (v.  14).^  This 
is  according  to  Num.  6  :  3  and  may  be  an  editorial  addition. 

15.  Cf.  the  hospitality  offered  by  Abraham  to  the  three  angels 
(Gen.  18 :  3  ff.)  and  by  Gideon  to  the  angel  (6:17  ff.). 

16.  For  Manoah  knew  not  that  he  was  the  angel  of  the  Lord. 
This  sentence  is  out  of  place.  It  follows  either  the  invitation  of 
V.  15,  or  better  the  question  of  v.  17. 

^33 


13  :  17  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


17.  not  that  he  was  the  angel  of  the  Lord.  And  Manoah 
said  unto  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  What  is  thy  name, 
that  when  thy  words  come  to  pass  we  may  do  thee 

18.  honour?  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  said  unto  him, 
Wherefore  askest  thou  after  my  name,  seeing  it  is 

19.  ^wonderful?  So  Manoah  took  the  kid  with  the 
meal  offering,  and  offered  it  upon  the  rock  unto  the 
Lord  :  and  the  angel  did  wondrously,  and  Manoah  and 

20.  his  wife  looked  on.  For  it  came  to  pass,  when  the 
flame  went  up  toward  heaven  from  off  the  altar,  that 

1  Or,  secret. 

17.  Manoah  asks  after  the  angel's  name,  supposing  him  to  be 
a  man  of  God,  so  that  if  the  event  took  place  he  might,  in  some  way 
not  mentioned,  honor  him.  Cf.  the  honor  given  to  Samuel  as 
a  foreteller  (i  Sam.  9:6),  and  that  of  money  probably  promised  to 
Balaam  (Num.  22  :  17  f.,  37). 

18.  Seeing  it  is  wonderful.  Incomprehensible,  beyond  the 
understanding  of  Manoah  (cf.  Gen.  32:29).  This  is  an  inti- 
mation of  the  deity  of  the  speaker. 

19.  With,  the  meal  offering.  These  words  here  and  in  v.  23 
are  an  editorial  addition  to  make  the  sacrifice  conform  with 
the  ritual  of  the  later  priestly  legislation,  which  required  such 
an  offering  with  the  burnt  offering  (cf.  Num.  15  :  8  f.,  P).  Upon 
the  rock.  A  rock  served  as  an  altar  for  Manoah.  Cf.  the  rock 
used  as  an  altar  in  6 :  20  f .  And  the  angel  did  wondrously. 
The  word  angel  is  not  in  the  original.  The  other  words  by  a 
slight  change  in  the  text  give  as  the  true  rendering,  And  ofered 
it  upon  the  rock  unto  Jehovah  the  wonder-worker.  The  reference 
is  to  the  marvel  of  the  birth  of  the  child  and  not  to  the  mar- 
vel of  the  disappearance  of  the  angel  in  the  flame  of  the  altar 
(v.  20).  And  Manoah  and  his  wife  looked  on.  These  words  are 
to  be  omitted.      They  are  a  copyist's  error  from  the  following  verse. 

20.  For  it  came  to  pass.  The  correct  translation  is  And  it 
came  to  pass,  etc.  Cf.  the  disappearance  of  the  angel  who  ap- 
peared unto  Gideon  (6  :  21). 

134 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  13 

the  angel  of  the  Lord  ascended  in  the  flame  of  the 
altar :  and  Manoah  and  his  wife  looked  on ;  and  they 

21.  fell  on  their  faces  to  the  ground.  But  the  angel  of 
the  Lord  did  no  more  appear  to  Manoah  or  to  his 
wife.     Then  Manoah  knew  that  he  was  the  angel  of 

22.  the  Lord.     And  Manoah  said  unto  his  wife,  We  shall 

23.  surely  die,  because  we  have  seen  God.  But  his  wife 
said  unto  him,  If  the  Lord  were  pleased  to  kill  us, 
he  would  not  have  received  a  burnt  offering  and  a  meal 
offering  at  our  hand,  neither  would  he  have  shewed 
us  all  these  things,  nor  would  at  this  time  have  told 

24.  such  things  as  these.  And  the  woman  bare  a  son,  and 
called  his  name  ^  Samson :  and  the  child  grew,  and  the 

25.  Lord  blessed  him.     And  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  began 

1  Heb.  Shimshon. 

2  2.  We  shall  surely  die,  because  we  have  seen  God.  The 
notion  was  that  if  any  one  saw  God  he  would  die  (cf.  6 :  22). 

23.  A  woman's  practical  sense  set  over  a  man's  theoretical 
reasoning  is  seen  in  this  reply. 

24.  Samson.  There  is  no  connection  between  the  name 
Samson  and  either  the  divine  appearance  announcing  his  birth 
or  the  work  which  the  child  was  designed  to  accomplish.  The 
name  is  a  derivative  from  the  Hebrew  word  shemesh,  meaning 
"  sun."  He  was  a  sun's  man.  Adjacent  to  the  home  of  his  parents 
was  the  town  of  Beth-shemesh,  evidently  from  its  name  "  house 
of  sun,"  a  seat  of  the  worship  of  the  sun.  Samson's  name  may 
indicate  nothing  further  than  that  he  was  a  "  sun  worshipper"; 
but  when  his  exploits  are  considered  as  well  as  his  name,  it  is  hard 
to  believe  that  he  like  Hercules  was  not  in  some  way  a  personi- 
fication of  the  sun.  There  is  a  certain  parallelism  between  these 
two  men  of  strength.  Each  begins  his  career  by  strangling  a 
lion  ;  each  perishes  through  the  wiles  of  a  woman  ;  each  catches 
wild  beasts,  although  the  beasts  of  Samson  are  only  foxes. 

25.  And  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  began  to  move  him.     Cf.  3  :  10. 

135 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


to  move  him  in  ^  Mahaneh-dan,  between  Zorah  and 
Eshtaol. 
14.       And  Samson  went  down  to  Timnah,  and  saw  a  woman 
2.   in  Timnah  of  the  daughters  of  the  PhiUstines.    And 


1  That  is,  The  camp  of  Dan.     See  i8 :  12. 


Samson  began  to  manifest  those  outbursts  of  rage  and  great 
strength  exhibited  in  his  later  exploits.  Mahaneh-dan.  The 
name  means  "camp  of  Dan."  Zorah.  Cf.  v.  2.  Eshtaol.  Modern 
Eshua  about  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  Zorah,  with  which  it  is 
generally  associated  (cf.  16  :  31 ;  18  :  2,  11 ;  Josh.  15  :  33  ;  19  :  41 ; 
I  Chron.  2  :  53). 

Chapters  14,  15.  Samson,  through  the  controlling  spirit  of 
Jehovah,  who  will  use  him  as  an  instrument  to  harass  the  Philistines, 
contrary  to  the  wishes  of  his  parents  seeks  as  a  wife  a  Philistine 
woman  at  Timnah.  On  his  way  to  visit  her  he  strangles  a  lion 
in  whose  carcase  bees  lodge  and  store  honey  (14:  1-8).  From 
the  circumstance  of  the  honey  so  singularly  placed  Samson  at 
his  wedding  feast  held  at  Timnah  propounds,  on  a  wager  of  thirty 
suits  of  clothing,  a  riddle  to  his  guests,  which  they  are  unable  to 
answer  until  they  persuade  his  newly  wedded  wife  to  entice  the 
answer  from  her  husband  (14:  9-18).  Samson,  to  pay  the  wager 
of  clothing,  slays  and  strips  thirty  Philistines  and  in  anger  returns 
to  his  home,  and  his  bride  is  given  to  another  (14 :  19-20).  Sam- 
son, finding  that  his  bride  has  been  given  to  another,  captures 
300  foxes  and,  by  means  of  firebrands  attached  to  their  tails,  sets  fire 
to  the  grain  and  orchards  of  the  Philistines.  They  in  turn  burn 
his  wife  and  her  father,  and  Samson  then  in  revenge  slays  great 
numbers  of  the  Philistines  (15  :  1-8).  At  this  the  Philistines  in- 
vade Judah  to  seize  Samson,  and  the  men  of  Judah  deliver  him, 
bound  with  ropes,  to  his  enemies,  but  he  bursts  the  ropes  and  with 
the  jawbone  of  an  ass  slaughters  the  Philistines  (15  :  9-16).  After- 
ward Samson  thirsts,  and  God  creates  a  cavity  in  which  water 
appears  (15:  17-20).  The  original  narrative  has  been  obscured 
by  revision,  especially  by  the  introduction  of  Samson's  parents  in 
14:  3  (the  mother),  5  f.  (the  father  and  mother),  10  (the  father). 

14:  I.  Timnah.  Modern  Tibneh,  only  some  three  and  a  half 
miles  southwest  of  Zorah  and  thus  quite  near  the  home  of  Samson. 

136 


THE   BOOK  OF  JUDGES  14 

he  came  up,  and  told  his  father  and  his  mother,  and 
said,  I  have  seen  a  woman  in  Timnah  of  the  daughters 
of  the  PhiUstines:  now  therefore  get  her  for  me  to 
wife.  Then  his  father  and  his  mother  said  unto  him, 
Is  there  never  a  woman  among  the  daughters  of  thy 
brethren,  or  among  all  my  people,  that  thou  goest 
to  take  a  wife  of  the  uncircumcised  Philistines  ?  And 
Samson  said  unto  his  father.  Get  her  for  me ;  for  she 
pleaseth  me  well.  But  his  father  and  his  mother  knew 
not  that  it  was  of  the  Lord  ;  for  he  sought  an  occasion 
against  the  Philistines.  Now  at  that  time  the  Phi- 
listines had  rule  over  Israel. 


In  Josh.  19  :  43  it  is  reckoned  as  belonging  to  Dan ;  in  Josh.  15:10 
as  on  the  border  of  Judah;  and  in  2  Chron.  28:  18  it  is  among 
the  towns  taken  by  the  Philistines  from  Judah  in  the  reign  of 
Ahaz. 

2.  Now  therefore  get  her  for  me  to  wife.  In  ancient  Israel 
the  choosing  of  the  bride  was  the  business  of  a  man's  father  or 
the  head  of  the  family  (cf.  Gen.  24  :  2  ff . ;  38  :  6  ;  28  :  i  ff. ;  21  :  21). 
The  woman  became  a  member  of  her  husband's  family. 

3.  And  his  mother.  An  editorial  gloss,  as  appears  in  the  reply 
where  we  have  my  people  and  not  the  plural  pronoun  our.  The 
feeling  against  foreign  wives  according  to  the  patriarchal  stories 
was  very  strong  in  Israel.  Abraham  makes  his  servant  swear 
not  to  take  a  foreign  wife  for  Isaac  (Gen.  24  :  3),  and  Isaac  charges 
Jacob  not  to  take  a  Canaanite  wife  (Gen.  28:  i),  and  Esau's 
foreign  wives  were  very  grievous  to  his  mother  (Gen.  27  :  46). 
Uncircumcised.  A  term  of  reproach  applied  repeatedly  to  the 
Philistines  (cf.  15  :  18;  i  Sam.  14:6;  17  :  26,  36,  etc.).  The  other 
neighbors  of  Israel  were  kindred  peoples  who  generally  practised 
circumcision. 

4.  The  father  and  mother  did  not  know  that  the  persistent 
love  of  their  son  for  the  Philistine  woman  was  caused  by  Jehovah, 
who  sought  the  opportunity  which  would  arise  from  this  passion 
to  inflict  evil  upon  the  Philistines. 

137 


14:5  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


5.  Then  went  Samson  down,  and  his  father  and  his 
mother,  to  Timnah,  and  came  to  the  vineyards  of 
Timnah:    and,  behold,  a  young  Hon  roared  against 

6.  him.  And  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  came  mightily  upon 
him,  and  he  rent  him  as  he  would  have  rent  a  kid, 

R  and  he  had  nothing  in  his  hand :  but  he  told  not  his 

J     7.   father  or  his  mother  what  he  had  done.     And  he  went 

down,  and  talked  with  the  woman;   and  she  pleased 

8.   Samson  well.     And  after  a  while  he  returned  to  take 

her,   and    he   turned   aside   to   see   the    carcase    of 

5.  A  young  lion  roared  against  him.  Lions  were  very  plenti- 
ful in  ancient  Palestine  :  David  as  a  shepherd  overcame  one  (i  Sam. 
17 :  34  flf.) ;  Benaiah  slays  one  in  a  pit  on  a  snowy  day  (2  Sam. 
23 :  20) ;  a  lion  slays  the  disobedient  prophets  (i  Kgs.  13  :  23) ; 
lions  harass  the  new  settlers  of  northern  Israel  (2  Kgs.  17  :  25). 

8  f .  And  after  a  while  he  returned  to  take  her.  The  return 
is  not  to  Timnah  but  to  Samson's  home.  The  words  to  take  her 
are  to  be  omitted  as  gloss,  and  with  the  glosses  oi  father  and  mother 
in  the  two  previous  verses  have  led  to  a  complete  misconception  of 
the  original  story.  In  its  present  form  it  reads  as  if  Samson, 
accompanied  by  his  parents,  goes  down  to  Timnah,  and  while  on 
the  way  slays  a  lion,  strangely  enough  unbeknown  to  his  father 
and  mother,  who  are  with  him  (v.  6).  Then  later  on  the  three 
are  again  on  their  way  to  Timnah,  this  time  that  Samson  may 
marry  the  woman ;  and  Samson  slips  away  from  his  parents  to 
view  the  lion  and  returns  to  them  with  the  honey,  and  his  father 
went  down  to  the  wotnan  (v.  10),  i.e.  to  arrange  for  the  marriage. 
In  the  original  story  the  father  and  mother  were  not  mentioned, 
except  in  v.  9,  where  Samson  meets  them  on  his  return  home. 
Samson  first  goes  down  alone  to  Timnah  and  on  the  way  he  slays 
a  lion.  After  remaining  in  Timnah  awhile  he  returns  to  his 
home,  and  on  the  way  he  views  the  carcase,  takes  and  eats  the 
honey,  and  brings  some  of  it  to  his  parents  at  Zorah.  Then 
later  on  (v.  10)  he  goes  again  to  Timnah  unto  the  woman  and 
marries  her,  celebrating  the  union  with  a  feast.  His  parents  have 
no  part  in  his  wooing  and  marrying  the  Philistine  woman  of 

13S 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  14:11 


the  lion:  and,  behold,  there  was  a  swarm  of  bees 
9.  in  the  body  of  the  Hon,  and  honey.  And  he  took 
it  into  his  hands,  and  went  on,  eating  as  he  went, 
and  he  came  to  his  father  and  mother,  and  gave 
unto  them,  and  they  did  eat :  but  he  told  them  not 
that  he  had  taken  the  honey  out  of  the  body  of  the 

10.  lion.     And  his  father  went  down  unto  the  woman: 
and  Samson  made  there  a  feast ;  for  so  used  the  young 

11.  men  to  do.     And  it  came  to  pass,  when  they  saw  him, 
that  they  brought  thirty  companions  to  be  with  him. 

whom  they  so  thoroughly  disapprove  (vv.  2  f .)  and  of  whose  divine 
purpose  they  are  ignorant  (v.  4).  A  swarm  of  bees  in  the  body 
of  the  lion.  That  the  dead  body  in  the  hot  sun  and  dry  atmos- 
phere would  soon  shrivel  and  form  a  cavity  in  which  bees  might 
assemble  is  not  improbable;  yet  the  appearance  of  the  bees  and 
honey  must  be  regarded  as  a  wonder  and  be  classified  with  the 
other  marvels  of  the  stories  of  Samson. 

10  f.  Removing  as  a  gloss  the  words  his  father,  Samson  goes 
down  to  marry  the  woman  and  makes  at  her  home  a  wedding 
feast  according  to  the  custom  of  bridegrooms,  who,  like  Samson, 
contract  a  marriage  with  a  woman  who  is  to  remain  in  her  father's 
house  (cf.  8:  30).  In  an  ordinary  marriage  the  feast  would  be 
at  the  bridegroom's  home,  where  the  bride  would  remain.  This 
is  a  plausible  interpretation  of  v.  10;  but  v.  11  in  the  present 
text  can  only  mean :  When  the  Philistines  saw  Samson,  or 
according  to  some  Greek  texts  since  they  feared  him  (the  two  verbs 
are  very  nearly  alike  in  Hebrew),  knowing  his  dangerous  char- 
acter, they  brought  thirty  men  as  a  posse  of  constables  to  be 
with  him.  But  this  statement  is  unnatural.  Samson  has  not  yet 
become  a  mischief-maker  to  the  Philistines.  It  is  better  by  a  re- 
arrangement of  the  clauses  of  the  two  verses  and  by  slight  changes 
in  the  text  to  render :  loa.  And  Samson  went  down  unto  the 
woman  to  take  (marry)  her.  11.  And  it  came  to  pass  when  they 
saw  him  that  they  brought  him  thirty  companions  to  he  with  him, 
lob.  and  they  made  a  feast,  for  so  used  the  young  men  to  do.  When 
Samson  came  to  marry   the  woman  in   her  father's  house,   her 

139 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


12.  And  Samson  said  unto  them,  Let  me  now  put  forth 
a  riddle  unto  you :  if  ye  can  declare  it  me  within  the 
seven  days  of  the  feast,  and  find  it  out,  then  I  will 
give  you  thirty  Hnen  garments  and  thirty  changes  of 

13.  raiment :  but  if  ye  cannot  declare  it  me,  then  shall  ye 
give  me  thirty  linen  garments  and  thirty  changes  of 
raiment.    And  they  said  unto  him,  Put  forth  thy  rid- 

14.  die,  that  we  may  hear  it.     And  he  said  unto  them, 

Out  of  the  eater  came  forth  meat, 
And  out  of  the  strong  came  forth  sweetness. 
And  they  could  not  in  three  days  declare  the  riddle. 


friends,  the  Philistines,  provided  Samson  with  companions  who 
in  an  ordinary  wedding  would  be  his  kinsmen,  and  these  com- 
panions after  an  eastern  custom  furnished  the  feast. 

12.  Riddle.  To  propose  a  riddle,  a  knotty  or  dark  saying, 
has  always  been  a  favorite  means  of  entertainment  in  the  East. 
The  Queen  of  Sheba  tested  Solomon  with  riddles  (i  Kgs.  10:  i). 
A  perplexing  moral  problem  is  called  a  riddle  (Ps.  49  :  4,  dark  say- 
ing). Samson's  riddle  (v.  14)  called  for  the  substitution  of  special 
terms  for  general  ones  and  required  a  knowlege  of  a  beehive  in  a 
lion's  carcase  or  something  similar  for  its  solution.  Seven  days. 
The  customary  duration  of  wedding  festivities  (cf.  Gen.  29  :  27). 
Linen  garments.  Wrappers,  sheetlike,  rectangular  pieces  of  cloth 
of  fine  material  worn  at  night  upon  the  naked  body  (cf.  Mark  14: 
51),  or  as  a  mantle  over  other  clothing.  Changes  of  raiment. 
Apparel  worn  on  festival  and  ceremonial  occasions  (cf.  Gen. 
45:  22;  2  Kgs.  5:5). 

14  f.  Three  days.  This  does  not  agree  with  the  following 
seventh  day  (v.  15)  unless  the  riddle  was  propounded  on  the 
fourth  day,  in  which  case  there  still  remains  the  discrepancy 
of  the  woman  weeping  seven  days  (v.  16).  It  is  best  to  strike 
out  both  statements  of  time  as  glosses  (the  first,  though  a  gloss, 
having  originally  been  six)  and  render  And  when  they  could  not 
declare  the  riddle  then  it  came  to  pass  that  they  said,  etc.  The 
Philistines  in  the  original  story  seem  to  have  realized  from  the 

140 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


15.  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  ^  seventh  day,  that  they  said 
unto  Samson's  wife,  Entice  thy  husband,  that  he  may 
declare  unto  us  the  riddle,  lest  we  burn  thee  and  thy 
father's  house  with  fire :  have  ye  called  us  to  ^  impov- 

16.  erish  us?  is  it  not  so?  And  Samson's  wife  wept 
before  him,  and  said,  Thou  dost  but  hate  me,  and  lov- 
est  me  not :  thou  hast  put  forth  a  riddle  unto  the  children 
of  my  people,  and  hast  not  told  it  me.  And  he  said 
unto  her.  Behold,  I  have  not  told  it  my  father  nor  my 

17.  mother,  and  shall  I  tell  it  thee?  And  she  wept 
before  him  the  seven  days,  while  their  feast  lasted: 
and  it  came  to  pass  on  the  seventh  day,  that  he  told 
her,  because  she  pressed  him  sore :   and  she  told  the 

18.  riddle  to  the  children  of  her  people.  And  the  men  of 
the  city  said  unto  him  on  the  seventh  day  before  the 
sun  went  down,  What  is  sweeter  than  honey?  and 
what  is  stronger  than  a  lion  ?    And  he  said  unto  them, 

If  ye  had  not  plowed  with  my  heifer, 
Ye  had  not  found  out  my  riddle. 

19.  And  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  came  mightily  upon  him, 

*  The  Sept.  and  Syriac  have,  fourth.  *  Or,  take  that  we  have. 

beginning  that  the  riddle  without  special  knowledge  was  insolu- 
ble, and  applied  at  once  to  Samson's  wife  for  the  solution.  Lest 
we  bum  thee  and  thy  father's  house  with  fire.  This  was  the 
ultimate  fate  of  the  woman  and  her  family.  The  Ephraimites 
threatened  Jephthah  with  a  similar  punishment  (12:  i). 

18.  Before  the  sun  went  down.  Render  more  correctly, 
before  he  went  into  the  chamber.  The  Philistines  spring  the  an- 
swer upon  Samson  just  as  he  is  about  to  retire  that  his  dis- 
comfiture may  be  great.  K  ye  had  not  plowed  with  my  heifer. 
This  reply  is  in  the  form  of  a  riddle. 

19.  Cf.  V.  6.      Samson's  mighty    deeds    are   represented  as 

141 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


and  he  went  down  to  Ashkelon,  and  smote  thirty  men 
of  them,  and  took  their  ^  spoil,  and  gave  the  changes 
of  raiment  unto  them  that  declared  the  riddle.  And  his 
anger  was  kindled,  and  he  went  up  to  his  father's 

20.  house.  But  Samson's  wife  was  given  to  his  companion, 
whom  he  had  used  as  his  friend. 

15.  But  it  came  to  pass  after  a  while,  in  the  time  of  wheat 
harvest,  that  Samson  visited  his  wife  with  a  kid ;  and 
he  said,  I  will  go  in  to  my  wife  into  the  chamber. 
2.  But  her  father  would  not  suffer  him  to  go  in.  And 
her  father  said,  I  verily  thought  that  thou  hadst 
utterly  hated  her;  therefore  I  gave  her  to  thy  com- 
panion:   is  not  her  yoimger  sister  fairer  than  she? 

^  Or,  apparel. 

through  the  special  influence  of  Jehovah  (cf.  3  :  10).  Ashkelon. 
One  of  the  five  cities  of  the  Philistines,  modern  name  the  same, 
on  the  seacoast,  a  couple  of  days'  journey  from  Timnah.  This 
episode  of  movement  to  such  a  distant  place  and  of  the  slaughter 
of  thirty  Philistines  to  secure  spoil  with  which  to  pay  the  wager 
is  the  insertion  of  an  editor.  The  latter  half  of  the  verse  gives 
the  original  sequel.  Samson  in  furious  rage  leaves  then  and 
there  his  wife,  and  she,  deserted  by  her  newly  made  husband, 
against  whom  she  had  conspired,  is  given  at  once  to  his  best  man 
(the  friend  of  the  bridegroom,  Jn.  3:  29). 

I,  After  a  while.  The  anger  of  Samson  cools,  and  he  visits 
his  wife  with  the  desire  of  assuming  his  rights  as  a  husband. 
In  the  time  of  wheat  harvest.  This  statement  of  time  is 
given  with  reference  to  v.  5.  Since  young  people  in  Palestine 
are  usually  married  in  March  this  would  be  about  two  months 
after  the  wedding.  With  a  kid.  A  gift  of  reconciliation  and 
such  a  one  as  the  husband  of  a  woman  who  lived  with  her  parents 
would  naturally  bring  on  a  visit  to  his  wife :  possibly,  since 
Judah  promised  a  kid  to  Tamar  (cf.  Gen.  38:  17),  the  usual  gift 
in  connection  with  the  marital  relations. 

142 


THE   BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


3.  take  her,  I  pray  thee,  instead  of  her.  And  Samson 
said  unto  them.  This  time  ^  shall  I  be  blameless  in 
regard  of  the  Philistines,  when  I  do  them  a  mischief. 

4.  And  Samson  went  and  caught  three  hundred  ^  foxes, 
and  took  ^  firebrands,  and  turned  tail  to  tail,  and  put  a 

5.  firebrand  in  the  midst  between  every  two  tails.  And 
when  he  had  set  the  brands  on  fire,  he  let  them  go 
into  the  standing  corn  of  the  Philistines,  and  burnt 
up  both  the  shocks  and  the  standing  corn,  and  also 

6.  the  oliveyards.  Then  the  Philistines  said,  Who  hath 
done  this  ?  And  they  said,  Samson,  the  son  in  law  of 
the  Timnite,  because  he  hath  taken  his  wife,  and 
given   her   to  his   companion.     And   the   Philistines 

1  Or,  shall  I  be  quits  with.  ^  Or,  jackals.  '  Or,  torches. 

3.  This  time  shall  I  be  blameless,  etc.  Samson  exults  in  the 
thought  that  in  return  for  the  wrong  done  to  him  in  giving  his 
wife  to  another,  he  is  free  to  inflict  injury  upon  the  Philistines. 

4  f.  The  calm  deliberation  and  cunning  stratagem  with  which 
Samson  here  works  his  revenge  is  in  striking  contrast  to  his 
seizure  by  a  divine  frenzy.  Three  hundred  foxes  or  jackals  are 
caught,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  pairs  with  their  tails  tied 
together  and  burning  faggots  attached  are  set  loose,  and  the  cut 
and  standing  grain  is  destroyed  and  the  olive  orchards  suffer 
likewise.  This  story  is  an  invention  of  folklore,  and  hence  is  not 
to  be  considered  seriously  in  reference  to  the  possibility  of  such 
an  occurrence.  It  has  a  remarkable  parallel  in  a  Roman  ceremony 
described  by  Ovid  in  which,  at  the  festival  of  Ceres,  the  goddess 
of  grain,  foxes  with  lighted  torches  tied  to  their  tails  were  turned 
loose  in  the  circus.  This  Roman  ceremony  is  explained  by  Ovid 
as  commemorating  the  burning  of  grainfields  kindled  by  a  wisp 
of  burning  hay  tied  by  a  boy  to  a  fox's  tail.  The  coincidence 
between  this  and  the  Samson  story  may  be  accidental,  but 
probably  a  common  myth  of  great  antiquity  underlies  each. 

6.  Her  and  her  father.  After  the  Greek  and  Syriac  versions 
143 


15:7  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


came  up,  and  burnt  her  and  her  father  with  fire. 

7.  And  Samson  said  unto  them,  If  ye  do  after  this  man- 
ner, surely  I  will  be  avenged  of  you,  and  after  that  I 

8.  will  cease.  And  he  smote  them  hip  and  thigh  with 
a  great  slaughter:  and  he  went  down  and  dwelt  in 
the  cleft  of  the  rock  of  Etam. 

9.  Then  the  Philistines  went  up,  and  pitched  in  Judah, 

10.  and  spread  themselves  in  Lehi.  And  the  men  of 
Judah  said,  Why  are  ye  come  up  against  us?  And 
they  said.  To  bind  Samson  are  we  come  up,  to  do  to 

11.  him  as  he  hath  done  to  us.  Then  three  thousand  men 
of  Judah  went  down  to  the  cleft  of  the  rock  of  Etam, 


we  should  read  Her  and  her  father's  house  (i.e.  family)  (cf.  the 
destruction  of  the  families  of  Dathan  and  Abiram,  Num.  16 : 
27  ff.,  and  Achan,  Josh.  8:  24). 

7.  Samson,  although  having  wrought  injury  upon  the  Phi- 
listines for  the  wrong  done  him  through  his  Philistine  wife  and 
family,  stands  ready  to  avenge  their  cruel  death.  Under  any 
event  the  Philistines  are  to  suffer. 

8.  Hip  and  thigh.  A  proberbial  expression  for  complete 
overthrow.  Etam.  Usually  regarded  the  place  of  this  name  near 
Beth-lehem  (cf.  2  Chron.  11:6).  But  not  far  from  Timnah  and 
Zorah  (near  Artuf)  is  an  almost  vertical  cliff  with  a  large  cave  very 
diflScult  and  even  dangerous  of  access  which  may  well  have  been 
the  traditional  refuge  of  Samson  (Moore). 

In  addition  to  the  marvels  of  Samson's  strength  the  story  of 
15:9-17  has  the  usual  exaggerations  of  a  folktale.  The  Phi- 
listinesseek  Samson  with  an  invading  army  (v.  9),  and  the  force 
of  Judah  which  summons  him  to  surrender  is  three  thousand  men 
(v.  II). 

9.  Lehi  (cf.  vv.  14-19).  Site  unknown.  The  word  means 
"  jawbone,"  and  the  name  was  not  unlikely  given  from  the  resem- 
blance of  the  rocks  or  cliffs  of  the  place  to  the  underjaw  of  an 
animal. 

II.   Three    thousand   men.     Samson's    strength    is    glorified 
144 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  15:14 


and  said  to  Samson,  Knowest  thou  not  that  the 
Philistines  are  rulers  over  us  ?  what  then  is  this  that 
thou  hast  done  unto  us?    And  he  said  unto  them, 

12.  As  they  did  unto  me,  so  have  I  done  unto  them.  And 
they  said  unto  him.  We  are  come  down  to  bind  thee, 
that  we  may  deliver  thee  into  the  hand  of  the  Philis- 
tines.    And  Samson  said  unto  them.  Swear  unto  me, 

13.  that  ye  will  not  fall  upon  me  yourselves.  And  they 
spake  unto  him,  saying.  No;  but  we  will  bind  thee 
fast,  and  deliver  thee  into  their  hand :  but  surely  we 
will  not  kill  thee.     And  they  bound  him  with  two  new 

14.  ropes,  and  brought  him  up  from  the  rock.  When 
he  came  unto  Lehi,  the  Philistines  shouted  as  they 
met  him :  and  the  spirit  of  the  Lord  came  mightily 
upon  him,  and  the  ropes  that  were  upon  his  arms  be- 


through  the  number  of  men  thought  necessary  to  take  him. 
Some  explain  the  willingness  of  the  men  of  Judah  to  deliver  Sam- 
son by  the  fact  that  he  was  a  Danite  and  hence  they  felt  no  obli- 
gation to  protect  him.  But  that  does  not  appear  in  the  narra- 
tive. The  only  apparent  motive  for  their  action  is  fear  of  damage 
from  the  Philistines  and  an  obligation  to  them  as  their  rulers. 
This  in  view  of  the  outcome  of  their  surrender  of  Samson  would 
not  be  felt  by  the  writer  as  reprehensible.  The  Philistines  are 
rulers  over  us.  This  was  the  actual  condition  of  affairs  imme- 
diately preceding  the  kingship  of  Saul.  What  then  is  this  that 
thou  hast  done  unto  us  ?  Samson  is  charged  through  misconduct 
toward  the  Philistines  with  subjecting  the  men  of  Judah  to  an 
invasion. 

12.  Swear  unto  me,  that  ye  will  not  fall  upon  me  yourselves. 
Upon  this  condition  Samson,  evidently  confident  of  his  own  ulti- 
mate deliverance,  is  willing  to  be  delivered  to  the  Philistines. 

13.  New  ropes.  Cf.  16:11.  A  precaution  against  the  possi- 
bility of  escape. 

14.  The  spirit  of  the  Lord  came  mightily  upon  him.     As  when 

L  14s 


15:15  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


came  as  flax  that  was  burnt  with  fire,  and  his  bands 

15.  ^  dropped  from  off  his  hands.  And  he  found  a  new  jaw- 
bone of  an  ass,  and  put  forth  his  hand,  and  took  it, 

16.  and  smote  a  thousand  men  therewith.  And  Samson 
said, 

With  the  jawbone  of  an  ass,  ^  heaps  upon  heaps, 
With  the  jawbone  of  an  ass  have  I  smitten  a  thou- 
sand men. 

17.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  he  had  made  an  end  of 
speaking,  that  he  cast  away  the  jawbone  out  of  his 
hand ;    and  ^  that   place   was   called  *  Ramath-lehi. 

18.  And  he  was  sore  athirst,  and  called  on  the  Lord,  and 
said,  Thou  hast  given  this  great  deliverance  by  the 
hand  of  thy  servant :   and  now  shall  I  die  for  thirst, 

1  Heb.  were  melted.      _     2  Heb.  an  heap,  two  heaps.  '  Or,  he  called  that  place. 

*  That  is,  The  hill  of  the  jawbone. 

he  slew  the  lion  (14:  6)  and  the  men  of  Ashkelon  (14:  19)   (cf. 
3:10). 

15.  A  new  jawbone.  An  old  jawbone  would  have  been  brittle 
and  hence  not  adaptable  as  a  weapon  of  great  destruction. 

16.  Heaps  upon  heaps.  The  text  of  these  words  requires  a 
slight  emendation.  In  the  original  they  are  a  pun  upon  the 
Hebrew  word  ass.  To  preserve  this  the  couplet  has  been  trans- 
lated : 

With  the  jawbone  of  an  ass, 
I  assailed  my  assailants; 
With  the  jawbone  of  an  ass 
Have  I  slain  a  thousand  men. 

17.  Ramath-lehi.  I.e.  "Jawbone-hill."  Ramath  is  a  com- 
mon place  name  meaning  height  or  hill. 

18  f.  Samson,  after  his  great  effort  in  slaying  the  thousand 
Philistines  with  the  jawbone,  is  overcome  with  thirst,  and  as 
though  about  to  perish  prays  unto  Jehovah,  who  cleaves  a  hollow 
in   which   water   gushes   forth   and   his   spirit   is   revived.     The 

146 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


19.  and  fall  into  the  hand  of  the  uncircumcised.  But 
God  clave  the  hollow  place  that  is  in  ^  Lehi,  and  there 
came  water  thereout;  and  when  he  had  drunk,  his 
spirit  came  again,  and  he  revived :  wherefore  ^  the 
name  thereof  was  called  ^  En-hakkore,  which  is  in 

20.  Lehi,  unto  this  day.     And   he  judged  Israel  in  the   R° 
days  of  the  PhiUstines  twenty  years. 

16.       And  Samson  went  to  Gaza,  and  saw  there  an  harlot,   J 
2.   and  went  in  unto  her.     And  it  was  told  the  Gazites, 
saying,  Samson  is  come  hither.     And  they  compassed  R 
him  in,  and  laid  wait  for  him  all  night  in  the  gate  of 

^  Or,  the  jawbone.    *  Or,  he  called  the  name  of.    '  That  is,  The  spring  of  him  that  called. 

spring  which  thus  appears  is  named,  "  The  spring  of  him  that 
calleth."  This  spring  was  in  Lehi  until  the  day  of  the  writer. 
All  of  this  is  a  legend  which  arose  in  explaining  a  hollow  and  a 
spring  at  Lehi.  Since  Lehi  itself  means  jawbone,  from  that  name 
possibly  came  the  entire  story  of  Samson's  adventures  at  Lehi. 
En-hakkore  means  "  The  spring  of  the  Partridge,"  as  well  as  "  The 
spring  of  him  that  calleth,"  and  this  (Partridge-spring)  was  un- 
doubtedly the  original  name. 

20.  This  Deuteronomic  conclusion  suggests  that  the  remainder 
of  the  story  of  Samson,  chap.  16  (taken  from  JE),  was  added  by 
the  priestly  editor. 

16  :  I.  The  original  of  this  verse,  as  witnessed  by  the  Greek  ver- 
sion, read  and  from  thence  Samson  went  to  Gaza,  thus  closely  con- 
necting this  story  with  the  preceding  one.  Gaza.  The  most 
southerly  of  the  Philistine  cities,  on  the  borders  of  the  desert 
towards  Egypt.  The  modern  town  has  the  same  name,  and  being 
on  the  highway  to  Egypt  is,  like  the  ancient  one,  a  city  of  impor- 
tance. The  present  population  is  some  sixteen  thousand.  Gaza 
is  some  thirty  miles  south  of  Samson's  home  at  Zorah.  He  thus 
had  recklessly  entered  into  the  heart  of  the  enemies'  country, 

2.  And  they  compassed  him  in,  and  laid  wait  for  him  all  night 
in  the  gate  of  the  city.  These  statements  do  not  harmonize  with 
the  remainder  of  the  verse,  since  if  Samson's  lodging  was  sur- 

147 


l6:3  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


the  city,  and  were  quiet  all  the  night,  saying,  ^  Let  be 

3.  till  morning  light,  then  we  will  kill  him.  And  Sam- 
son lay  till  midnight,  and  arose  at  midnight,  and  laid 
hold  of  the  doors  of  the  gate  of  the  city,  and  the  two 
posts,  and  plucked  them  up,  bar  and  all,  and  put  them 
upon  his  shoulders,  and  carried  them  up  to  the  top  of 
the  mountain  that  is  before  Hebron. 

4.  And  it  came  to  pass  afterward,  that  he  loved  a  woman 
2  in  the  valley  of  Sorek,  whose  name  was  Delilah. 

5.  And  the  lords  of  the  Philistines  came  up  unto  her  and 

^  Or,  When  (or  Before)  the  morning  light.  ^  Or,  hy  the  brook. 

rounded  and  the  city  gate  was  watched,  how  could  he  without  an 
encounter  have  carried  ofif  the  gates  ?  The  words,  then,  seem  to 
be  an  interpolation  designed  to  make  the  escape  of  Samson  more 
wonderful.  The  Philistines  are  represented  as  confident,  the  city 
gates  being  closed,  that  Samson  could  not  escape  during  the  night. 
They  therefore  quietly  awaited  his  appearance  in  the  morning,  ex- 
pecting to  have  him  at  bay  and  kill  him. 

3.  The  doors  of  the  gate  of  the  city,  and  the  two  posts  .  .  . 
bar  and  all.  The  doors  or  leaves  of  the  city  gate  moved  on  pins 
set  in  sockets ;  the  bar  extended  across  the  doors  into  two  posts 
at  the  sides  of  the  gate,  and  was  in  some  manner  locked.  Sam- 
son removed  the  whole  of  this  structure.  Mountain  that  is  before 
Hebron.  I.e.  the  hill  which  faces  Hebron  as  one  approaches 
from  Gaza.  The  distance  between  the  two  cities  is  some  forty 
miles;  thus  the  feat  was  gigantic.  Some  have  thought  of  a  hill 
near  Hebron  on  the  road  to  Gaza,  which  from  its  natural  forma- 
tion was  called  the  "  Gates  of  Gaza."  This,  however,  is  doubtful, 
since  the  narrative  gives  no  such  local  connection. 

4.  The  valley  of  Sorek.  The  fertile  valley  now  known  as  the 
Wady  Surar,  extending  from  near  Jerusalem  westward  into  the 
coast  plain.  In  it  were  the  towns  of  Zorah,  Timnah,  and  Beth- 
shemesh.  Sorek  in  Hebrew  is  the  name  of  a  choice  variety  of 
grapes  which  probably  grew  abundantly  in  the  valley. 

5.  And  the  lords  of  the  Philistines.     Five  lords  or  rulers  of 

148 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  16:9 


said  unto  her,  Entice  him,  and  see  wherein  his  great 
strength  lieth,  and  by  what  means  we  may  prevail 
against  him,  that  we  may  bind  him  to  ^  afflict  him : 
and  we  will  give  thee  every  one  of  us  eleven  hundred 

6.  pieces  of  silver.  And  Delilah  said  to  Samson,  Tell 
me,  I  pray  thee,  wherein  thy  great  strength  lieth,  and 
wherewith  thou  mightest  be  bound  to  afflict  thee. 

7.  And  Samson  said  unto  her,  If  they  bind  me  with 
seven  ^  green  withes  that  were  never  dried,  then  shall 

8.  I  become  weak,  and  be  as  another  man.  Then  the 
lords  of  the  Philistines  brought  up  to  her  seven  ^  green 
withes  which  had  not  been  dried,  and  she  bound  him 

9.  with  them.  Now  she  had  liers  in  wait  abiding  in  the 
inner  chamber.  And  she  said  unto  him.  The  Philis- 
tines be  upon  thee,  Samson.  And  he  brake  the  withes, 
as  a  string  of  tow  is  broken  when  it  ^  toucheth  the 

1  Or,  humble       *  Qr,  new  bowstrings.       '  Or,  new  bowstrings.      *  Heb.  smelleth. 

the  Philistines  are  mentioned  in  3:3.  The  number  is  derived 
from  the  five  cities  Ekron,  Gath,  Ashdod,  Ashkelon,  and  Gaza. 
Wherein  his  great  strength.  In  harmony  with  the  develop- 
ment of  the  story  the  rulers  think  his  strength  due  to  some  magic 
the  secret  of  which  may  be  discovered.  Eleven  hundred  pieces  of 
silver.  I.e.  over  a  thousand  shekels,  an  enormous  sum,  consider- 
ing the  purchasing  power  of  money  in  those  days.  A  slave  was 
valued  at  only  thirty  shekels  (cf.  Exod.  21:32).  Intrinsically  a 
shekel  was  worth  sixty  cents. 

7.  Seven  green  withes.  I.e.  seven  fresh  sinews  such  as 
were  used  for  bowstrings.  These  could  be  readily  knotted  and 
would  not  easily  break.     Seven  is  a  charmed  number. 

8.  Brought  up  to  her  seven  green  withes.  Delilah  naturally 
would  not  have  fresh  sinews  at  hand. 

9.  The  Philistines  be  upon  thee,  Samson.  The  scare  words 
do  not  imply  that  the  liers  in  wait  rushed  out.     They  probably 

149 


i6  :  10  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


10.  fire.  So  his  strength  was  not  known.  And  Delilah 
said  unto  Samson,  Behold,  thou  hast  mocked  me,  and 
told  me  Hes:    now  tell  me,  I  pray  thee,  wherewith 

11.  thou  mightest  be  bound.  And  he  said  unto  her,  If 
they  only  bind  me  with  new  ropes  wherewith  no  work 
hath  been  done,  then  shall  I  become  weak,  and  be  as 

12.  another  man.  So  Delilah  took  new  ropes,  and  bound 
him  therewith,  and  said  unto  him,  The  Philistines  be 
upon  thee,  Samson.  And  the  hers  in  wait  were  abid- 
ing in  the  inner  chamber.     And  he  brake  them  from 

13.  off  his  arms  like  a  thread.  And  Delilah  said  unto 
Samson,  Hitherto  thou  hast  mocked  me,  and  told  me 
lies :  tell  me  wherewith  thou  mightest  be  bound.  And 
he  said  unto  her.  If  thou  weavest  the  seven  locks  of 

14.  my  head  with  the  web.  And  she  fastened  it  with 
the  pin,  and  said  unto  him,  The  PhiHstines  be  upon 
thee,  Samson.  And  he  awaked  out  of  his  sleep,  and 
plucked  away  the  pin  of  the  beam,  and  the  web. 


remained  in  concealment  each  time  when  they  saw  that  Samson's 
strength  remained. 

12.   Like  a  thread.     In  contrast  to  the  rope. 

13  f.  The  concluding  words  of  Samson's  directions  have  been 
omitted  (v.  13)  and  also  the  first  part  of  Delilah's  actions.  These 
may  be  restored  from  the  Greek  text  as  follows :  And  he  said  unto 
her,  If  thou  weavest  the  seven  locks  of  my  head  with  the  web  and  mak- 
est  it  fast  with  the  pin  then  shall  I  become  weak  like  another  man. 
And  she  made  him  sleep,  and  she  wove  the  seven  locks  of  his  head  with 
the  web,  and  she  made  it  fast  with  the  pin.  The  pin.  This  was  the 
wooden  peg  with  which  the  weaver  beat  the  woof  tight  and  hard 
into  the  warp.  While  Samson  slept  with  his  head  near  the  loom, 
Delilah  wove  his  long  hair  into  the  warp  with  her  fingers  and  beat 
it  up  tight  and  hard.  Samson  was  thus  fastened  with  his  hair  in 
a  prostrate  position.     When  he  awoke  he  pulled  up  by  his  hair 

150 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  16:19 


15.  And  she  said  unto  him,  How  canst  thou  say,  I  love 
thee,  when  thine  heart  is  not  with  me?  thou  hast 
mocked  me  these  three  times,  and  hast  not  told  me 

16.  wherein  thy  great  strength  lieth.  And  it  came  to 
pass,  when  she  pressed  him  daily  with  her  words,  and 
urged   him,   that   his   soul   was   vexed   unto   death. 

17.  And  he  told  her  all  his  heart,  and  said  unto  her.  There 
hath  not  come  a  razor  upon  mine  head;  for  I  have 
been  a  Nazirite  unto  God  from  my  mother's  womb: 
if  I  be  shaven,  then  my  strength  will  go  from  me,  and 
I  shall  become  weak,  and  be  like  any  other  man. 

18.  And  when  Delilah  saw  that  he  had  told  her  all  his 
heart,  she  sent  and  called  for  the  lords  of  the  Phi- 
listines, saying,  Come  up  this  once,  for  ^  he  hath  told 
me  all  his  heart.  Then  the  lords  of  the  Philistines 
came  up  unto  her,  and  brought  the  money  in  their 

19.  hand.  And  she  made  him  sleep  upon  her  knees; 
and  she  called  for  ^  a  man,  and  shaved  off  the  seven 
locks  of  his  head;   and  she  began  to  afflict  him,  and 

1  Or,  according  to  another  reading,  he  had  told  her.        2  Qr,  the  men. 

the  web  and  its  support.  The  words  the  pin  of  are  to  be  omitted 
before  the  words  the  beam.  They  have  come  into  the  text  through 
a  misunderstanding  of  the  use  of  the  pin. 

16.  Delilah  finally  succeeds  in  wresting  the  secret  from  Samson 
by  the  same  tactics  by  which  his  wife  obtained  the  answer  to  the 
riddle  (14:  17). 

17.  And  he  told  her  all  his  heart.  All  that  he  knew.  The 
heart  in  Hebrew  is  frequently  equivalent  to  the  mind.  A  Nazirite. 
Cf.  13  :  7- 

19.  And  shaved  off.  The  pronoun  he  should  be  supplied.  The 
man  did  the  shaving.  And  she  began  to  afflict  him.  Better  after 
Greek  texts,  and  he  began  to  be  afflicted,  i.e.  he  began  to  grow  weak. 

151 


l6  :  20  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


20.  his  strength  went  from  him.  And  she  said,  The  Philis- 
tines be  upon  thee,  Samson.  And  he  awoke  out  of  his 
sleep,  and  said,  I  will  go  out  as  at  other  times,  and 
shake  myself.     But  he  wist  not  that  the  Lord  was 

21.  departed  from  him.  And  the  Philistines  laid  hold 
on  him,  and  put  out  his  eyes ;  and  they  brought  him 
down  to  Gaza,  and  bound  him  with  fetters  of  brass ; 

22.  and  he  did  grind  in  the  prison  house.  Howbeit  the 
hair  of  his  head  began  to  grow  again  after  he  was 
shaven. 

23.  And  the  lords  of  the  Philistines  gathered  them  to- 
gether for  to  offer  a  great  sacrifice  unto  Dagon  their 


20.  And  shake  myself.  Set  himself  free  from  the  bonds 
with  which  Delilah  may  be  thought  to  have  bound  him  (cf.  v.  6), 
since  the  Philistines  would  wish  to  know  that  his  strength  had 
really  departed  before  they  appeared  to  seize  him.  The  Lord  was 
departed  from  him.  The  presence  of  Jehovah  was  manifested  in 
Samson's  strength.  When  his  hair  was  cut,  the  divine  presence 
or  spirit  left  him. 

21.  And  put  out  his  eyes.  Assyrian  monuments  contain  rep- 
resentations of  the  blinding  of  captives.  The  eyes  of  the  captive 
king  Zedekiah  of  Judah  were  put  out  by  the  Babylonians  (2  Kgs. 
25  :  7).  And  they  brought  him  down  to  Gaza.  The  Philistine 
city,  the  farthest  from  his  home.  Jewish  scholars  saw  in  this  a 
punishment  for  his  whoring  in  Gaza  (cf.  v.  i).  And  he  did  grind. 
Grinding  was  woman's  labor,  therefore  contemptible  for  a  strong 
man. 

23.  Dagon  their  god.  The  chief  deity  of  the  Philistines,  men- 
tioned in  the  story  of  the  capture  of  the  ark  (i  Sam.  5:2  fif.), 
and  occurring  in  the  local  name  Beth-dagon  (Josh.  15  :  41 ;  19:27.) 
The  name  has  been  connected  with  the  Hebrew  word  for  fish 
{dag)  and  also  the  word  for  grain  (dagan).  The  latter  is  the  more 
probable  derivation,  and  since  the  name  occurs  in  the  Amarna 
tablets  (1500  B.C.)  and  in  inscriptions  of  Phoenicia  and  Baby- 
lonia, Dagon  was  probably  an  ancient  Semitic  god  of  agriculture 

152 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


god,  and  to  rejoice :   for  they  said,  Our  god  hath  de-  R 

24.  livered  Samson  our  enemy  into  our  hand.     And  when  J 
the  people  saw  him,  they  praised  their  god :  for  they 
said.  Our  god  hath  delivered  into  our  hand  our  enemy, 
and  the  destroyer  of  our  country,  which  hath  slain 

25.  many  of  us.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  their  hearts 
were  merry,  that  they  said.  Call  for  Samson,  that  he 
may  make  us  sport.  And  they  called  for  Samson 
out  of  the  prison  house;    and  he  made  sport  before 

26.  them:    and  they  set  him  between  the  pillars.     And 

revered  on  the  seacoast  of  Palestine  and  adopted  by  the  Phi- 
listines when  they  entered  Palestine.  For  they  said.  Literally 
and  they  said.  These  words  with  the  remainder  of  the  verse  are 
an  insertion.  The  feast  was  not  called  to  celebrate  the  capture 
of  Samson,  for  that  event,  as  is  shown  by  the  regrowth  of  his  hair, 
had  taken  place  long  before,  but  was  a  great  sacrificial  feast  in 
honor  of  Dagon.  Rejoicing  would  be  a  feature  of  a  sacrificial 
feast  of  Dagon  even  as  of  Jehovah  without  reference  to  any  spe- 
cial circumstance  (cf.  Deut.  12  :  12,  18). 

The  following  two  verses,  since  the  sight  of  Samson  (v.  24) 
naturally  follows  his  call  out  of  the  prison  house,  must  be  trans- 
posed.    Their  present  order  is  a  copyist's  mistake. 

24.  For  they  said.  Better  after  the  Greek  translation,  and 
they  said;  since  the  following  words.  Our  god  hath  delivered  into 
our  hand,  etc.,  are  not  the  words  of  praise  (the  hallel  shout,  con- 
sisting of  names  and  honorific  titles  of  their  god),  but  are  "  an 
improvised  hymn  setting  forth  the  reason  and  meaning  of  their 
praises."  The  passage  (Our  god,  etc.)  in  Hebrew  contains  five 
words  of  a  single  rhyme. 

25.  When  their  hearts  were  merry.  Doubtless  with  wine 
(cf.  2  Sam.  13  :  28),  although  songs,  music,  dancing,  trials  of  wit 
and  athletic  sports  may  have  formed  a  feature  of  their  festivity. 
That  he  may  make  us  sport.  That  he  may  amuse  us.  How 
Samson  should  amuse  them,  whether  by  song  or  dance  or  feats 
of  strength,  is  not  indicated.  Perhaps  his  presence  as  a  blind 
captive  to  receive  their  jeers  would  be  sufficient. 

^53 


THE   BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


Samson  said  unto  the  lad  that  held  him  by  the  hand, 
Suffer  me  that  I  may  feel  the  pillars  whereupon  the 

27.  house  resteth,  that  I  may  lean  upon  them.  Now 
the  house  was  full  of  men  and  women;  and  all  the 
lords  of  the  Philistines  were  there;  and  there  were 
upon  the  roof  about  three  thousand  men  and  women, 

28.  that  beheld  while  Samson  made  sport.  And  Samson 
called  unto  the  Lord,  and  said,  O  Lord  God,  remem- 
ber me,  I  pray  thee,  and  strengthen  me,  I  pray  thee, 
only  this  once,  O  God,  that  I  may  ^  be  at  once  avenged 

29.  of  the  Philistines  for  my  two  eyes.  And  Samson 
took  hold  of  the  two  middle  pillars  upon  which  the 
house  rested,  and  leaned  upon  them,  the  one  with  his 

30.  right  hand,  and  the  other  with  his  left.  And  Samson 
said,  Let  me  die  with  the  Philistines.     And  he  bowed 

1  Or,  be  avenged  .  .  .  for  one  of  my  two  eyes. 

26.  The  lad.  The  word  is  better  rendered  servant  or  attend- 
ant. There  is  nothing  to  indicate  that  he  was  not  a  grown  man. 
The  pillars  whereupon  the  house  resteth.  Many  attempts  have 
been  made  to  describe  architecturally  the  building  overthrown 
by  Samson.  One  who  desires  to  make  actual  the  occurrence  may 
think  of  a  great  hall  connected  with  the  temple,  whose  roof,  as 
well  as  its  interior,  was  thronged  with  spectators  viewing  Samson 
making  sport  for  them  before  the  building,  perhaps  in  the  space 
in  front  of  the  temple.  After  his  exhibition  he  was  led  unto  the 
two  middle  pillars  of  the  building,  possibly  those  within  at  its 
centre,  and  pushing  with  his  right  hand  upon  one  pillar  and  his 
left  hand  on  the  other,  he  caused  the  great  hall  to  collapse. 

27.  The  Hebrew  text  suggests  that  mention  of  the  presence 
of  the  lords  of  the  Philistines  and  likewise  of  the  people  on  the 
roof  is  an  editorial  addition.  V.  30  does  not  mention  the  death 
of  any  on  the  roof. 

28.  For  my  two  eyes.  The  Hebrew  text  requires  the  trans- 
lation of  the  margin,  for  one  of  my  two  eyes.     The  death  of  the 

154 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  16:31 


himself  with  all  his  might ;  and  the  house  fell  upon  the 
lords,  and  upon  all  the  people  that  were  therein.  So 
the  dead  which  he  slew  at  his  death  were  more  than 
31.  they  which  he  slew^  in  his  life.  Then  his  brethren 
and  all  the  house  of  his  father  came  down,  and  took 
him,  and  brought  him  up,  and  buried  him  between 
Zorah  and  Eshtaol  in  the  bur^-ingplace  of  Manoah 
his  father.     And  he  judged  Israel  twenty  years.  R 

Philistines  whom  he  may  destroy  will  atone  only  for  the  loss  of 
one  of  his  eyes,  so  great  is  his  sense  of  injury  and  so  great  his 
desire  for  revenge. 

31.  Zorah  and  Eshtaol.  Cf.  13:2,  25,  The  recovery  of 
Samson's  body  and  its  burial  by  his  kinsmen  is  a  simple  touch  to 
describe  the  regard  of  his  own  people  for  the  hero. 


ISS 


C.    THE  APPENDIX,   CHAPTERS   17-21 

I.  The  Founding  of  the  Sanctuary  at  Dan, 
Chapters  17,  18 

17:1     J  17.       And  there  was  a  man  of  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim, 

E     2.   whose   name   was   Micah.     And   he   said   unto   his 

mother.  The  eleven  hundred  pieces  of  silver  that  were 

Chapters  17-21.  This  section  of  the  Book  of  Judges  consists  of 
the  stories  of  the  founding  of  the  sanctuary  at  Dan  and  of  the  sin 
of  Gibeah.  It  shows  no  trace  of  Deuteronomic  editing,  and  hence 
the  two  stories  come  from  the  priestly  editor  (R^).  They  were 
presumably  taken  from  the  historical  work  JE  and  then  edited  and 
joined  as  an  appendix  to  the  Deuteronomic  Book  of  Judges  at  the 
same  time  that  chaps.  1-2  :  5  were  prefixed  as  its  introduction. 

Chapters  17,  18.  At  Dan  far  to  the  north  in  Israel  at  the  head- 
waters of  Jordan  was  a  famous  sanctuary  during  the  life  of  the 
Hebrew  nation.  There  Jeroboam  placed  one  of  the  golden  calves 
(i  Kgs.  12  :  29).  This  story  of  the  origin  of  this  sanctuary  differs 
from  the  accounts  of  the  origins  of  the  sanctuaries  at  Beersheba, 
Bethel,  Mahanaim,  and  Penuel  given  in  Genesis  (21:31;  26  :  33  ; 
28 :  12  ff. ;  32:2,  30),  because  this  is  not  a  mythical  legend  of  di- 
vine appearances  and  patriarchal,  but  a  flesh  and  blood  tale  of 
real  life. 

A  man  Micah  of  Mt.  Ephraim  has  a  private  temple  with  an 
idol  and  he  secures  a  Levite  as  a  priest.  The  tribe  of  Dan,  having 
too  narrow  a  territory,  send  forth  spies  to  find  a  new  dwelling  place. 
These  spies  chance  in  their  journey  upon  Micah's  temple  and 
priest,  whom  they  recognize  as  an  old  acquaintance.  They 
inquire  in  regard  to  the  success  of  their  undertaking,  and  receiv- 
ing a  favorable  response,  they  come  to  the  unprotected  Phoeni- 
cian town  of  Laish,  near  the  head  waters  of  the  Jordan.  This 
town  they  recommend  their  countrymen  to  seize  as  a  new  home. 
An  armed  force  of  Danites  march  thither,  and  on  their  way  they 

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taken  from  thee,  about  which  thou  didst  utter  ^  a 
curse,  and  didst  also  speak  it  in  mine  ears,  behold, 

^  Or,  an  adjuration. 

plunder  Micah's  temple  and  persuade  his  priest  to  join  them. 
Having  conquered  and  destroyed  Laish,  they  make  it  their  home, 
which  they  call  Dan,  and  set  up  there  the  idol  of  Micah. 

The  story  contains  the  marks  of  the  union  of  two  narratives  to 
be  assigned  to  J  and  E.  In  the  former  (J)  Micah  has  a  temple 
in  which  are  an  ephod  and  teraphim  (v.  5),  and  one  of  his  sons  is 
priest,  for  whom  he  substitutes  a  wandering  Levite  from  Beth- 
lehem-judah  (vv,  8-iia,  12C-13).  In  the  latter  (E),  from  re- 
stored stolen  silver  Micah's  mother  has  made  for  him  a  graven 
image  and  a  molten  image  which  are  in  the  house  of  Micah  (vv. 
2-4).  A  youjig  man  of  Beth-lehem-judah,  a  Levite,  is  sojourning 
there,  i.e.  in  Mt.  Ephraim,  Micah's  home  (v.  7).  This  young  man 
was  as  one  of  Micah's  sons  and  became  his  priest  (vv.  iib-i2ab). 
Of  the  two  conclusions  of  the  narrative,  18:  30  belongs  to  J  and 
18  :  31  to  E.  Elsewhere  the  marks  of  the  two  narratives  are  not 
distinct  and  hence  the  narrative  as  a  whole  we  assign  to  JE. 

The  antiquity  of  this  narrative  appears  in  the  fact  that  it 
contains  no  condemnation  of  the  use  of  images  in  the  worship 
of  Jehovah.  As  already  intimated,  the  tale  gives  also  a  true  bit 
of  history  and  an  authentic  glimpse  of  early  conditions  in  Israel. 
A  well-endowed  householder  may  have  his  own  shrine  with  images 
for  the  worship  of  Jehovah.  (Cf.  the  ephod  of  Gideon,  8:  27.) 
He  may  maintain  at  his  own  expense  a  priest.  The  priesthood 
has  become  a  profession  already  associated  with  the  tribe  of 
Levi.  The  land  of  Israel  and  the  adjacent  country  on  the  north 
is  so  destitute  of  controlling  and  protecting  authorities  that  an 
armed  force  of  a  tribe  in  one  district  could  leave  its  home,  and, 
marching  through  the  country,  take  the  property  of  people  and 
attack  and  destroy  a  peaceable  and  prosperous  community. 
This  migration  of  a  portion  of  the  tribe  of  Dan  took  place  soon 
after  the  entrance  of  Israel  into  Western  Palestine.  In  the  song 
of  Deborah  the  tribe  is  mentioned  as  already  in  its  northern 
home  (cf.  5  :  17). 

17:  I.  The  hill  country  of  Ephraim.  See  on  3:  27.  Micah. 
The  Heb.  has  the  longer  form  of  the  name  Micayehu,  here  and  in 

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the  silver  is  with  me;    I  took  it.    And  his  mother 
3.   said,  Blessed  be  my  son  of  the  Lord.    And  he  re- 
stored the  eleven  hundred  pieces  of  silver  to  his  mother, 
and  his  mother  said,  I  verily  ^  dedicate  the  silver  unto 

1  Or,  had  dedicated. 

V.  4,  but  elsewhere  the  shorter  form,  Micah.  The  word  means, 
"  Who  is  like  Yah  {i.e.  Jehovah)  ?  " 

2-4.  The  general  meaning  of  these  verses  is  clear.  From  the 
mother  of  Micah  eleven  hundred  shekels  of  silver  have  been  stolen 
and  she  has  cursed  the  thief.  Her  son,  moved  by  the  imprecation, 
confesses  the  theft  and  restores  the  money.  The  mother  there- 
upon blesses  her  son  and  dedicates  the  silver  for  an  idol  for 
him.  This  purpose  is  carried  out.  The  text,  however,  of  these 
verses  is  in  disorder.  In  the  Hebrew  of  the  clause,  And  didst 
also  speak  it  in  mine  ears  (v.  2)  the  it  is  lacking.  The  object  of 
the  verb  speak  (literally  say)  perhaps  as  an  expression  impious 
to  the  Jewish  scribes  has  been  omitted  from  the  text.  The  last 
clause  of  v.  3  is  out  of  place.  It  follows  /  took  it  in  v.  2.  The 
restoration  of  the  silver  also  in  v.  4  (where  in  the  Hebrew  the  word 
when  does  not  appear)  is  a  repetition  from  v.  3 ;  and  the  clause, 
And  his  mother  said  (vv.  2  f.),  has  been  repeated.  The  passage 
should  read:  And  he  said  unto  his  mother,  The  eleven  hundred 
pieces  of  silver  that  were  taken  from  thee,  about  which  thou  didst 
utter  a  curse  and  did  also  speak  (i.e.  say)  .  .  .  in  mine  ears,  behold 
the  silver  is  with  me.  I  took  it.  Now  therefore  I  will  restore  it 
unto  thee.  And  he  restored  the  eleven  hundred  pieces  of  silver 
to  his  mother.  And  his  mother  said,  Blessed  be  my  son  of  Jehovah, 
I  verily  dedicate  the  silver  into  Jehovah  from  my  hand  for  my  son 
to  make  a  graven  image  and  a  molten  image.  And  his  mother  took 
two  hundred  pieces  of  silver,  etc. 

Eleven  hundred />ieces  of  silver.  Cf .  16  :  5,  where  the  same  sum 
is  offered  by  each  Philistine  lord  to  Delilah.  The  possession  of 
such  a  sum  by  Micah's  mother  suggests  that  she  was  a  widow. 
Blessed  be  my  son  of  the  Lord  (Jehovah).  A  curse  spoken  against 
the  thief  could  not  be  unsaid,  but  it  might  be  neutralized  by  a 
blessing.  Thus  when  a  curse  or  calamity  is  to  be  averted  a 
blessing  is  desired   (cf.   Exod.    12:32;     2   Sam.   21:3).     Curses 

158 


THE   BOOK  OF   JUDGES 


the  Lord  from  my  hand  for  my  son,  to  make  a  graven 
image  and  a  molten  image:  now  therefore  I  will 
restore  it  unto  thee.  And  when  he  restored  the  money 
unto  his  mother,  his  mother  took  two  hundred  pieces 
of  silver,  and  gave  them  to  the  founder,  who  made 
thereof  a  graven  image  and  a  molten  image:  and  it 
was  in  the  house  of  Micah.  And  the  man  Micah  had 
an  house  of  ^  gods,  and  he  made  an  ephod,  and  tera- 
phim,  and  ^  consecrated  one  of  his  sons,  who  became 


1  Or.  Cod.  2  Heb.  ^«e^  the  hand  of. 


and  blessing  were  regarded  in  ancient  Israel  as  having  real  power. 
A  graven  image  and  a  molten  image.  Only  one  image  is  meant. 
It  was  a  carved  image  overlaid  with  metal.  Two  hundred  pieces 
of  silver.  The  dedication  did  not  require  that  the  entire  sum 
should  be  made  into  an  idol,  but  only  that  which  was  sufficient 
to  make  a  worthy  image.  The  founder.  The  smelter  or  silver- 
smith. 

5.  This  verse  continues  v.  i,  representing  a  different  source 
from  w.  2-4.  An  house  of  gods.  I.e.  a  temple.  The  ordinary 
furniture  for  worship  was  an  altar  with  pillars  of  stone  and  wood 
adjoining.  These  required  no  building.  A  temple  was  erected 
only  in  the  case  of  some  sacred  object  like  the  ark  or  an  idol. 
An  ephod.  An  image  representing  Jehovah.  See  the  one  which 
Gideon  made  (8 :  24-27).  Teraphim  (plural  in  form,  but  may  be 
translated  as  a  singular  noun).  An  idol  of  some  sort,  generally 
regarded  as  that  of  an  household  deity,  possibly  used  in  connec- 
tion with  ancestor  worship.  Rachel  hid  that  (or  those)  of  her 
father's  home  under  a  camel's  saddle  (Gen.  31  ^  iQ,  34)-  Michal, 
the  daughter  of  Saul,  put  one  in  the  bed  to  represent  her  husband 
(i  Sam.  19:  13,  16).  Like  the  ephod,  the  teraphim  was  em- 
ployed in  divination  (2  Kgs.  23  :  24;  Ezek.  21  :  21 ;  Zech.  10:  2). 
And  consecrated  one  of  his  sons,  who  became  his  priest.  In  a 
similar  manner,  when  the  ark  was  brought  into  the  house  of 
Abinadab,  one  of  his  sons  was  set  apart  to  keep  the  ark  (i  Sam. 
7:1).     The  sons  of  David  held  the  office  of  priest  (2  Sam.  8  :  18). 

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R  6.  his  priest.  In  those  days  there  was  no  king  in  Israel : 
every  man  did  that  which  was  right  in  his  own  eyes. 

E  7.  And  there  was  a  young  man  out  of  Beth-lehem- 
judah,  of  the  family  of  Judah,  who  was  a  Levite,  and 

J     8.   he  sojourned  there.    And  the  man  departed  out  of 


6.  This  verse  is  an  editorial  note  (repeated  in  18:  i;  19:  i; 
21  :  25)  to  explain  how  such  doings  as  those  related  in  the  story 
of  Micah  were  possible.  The  editor  wrote  after  or  within  the 
period  of  the  monarchy  when  the  establishment  of  a  private  temple 
with  idols  and  an  ordinary  citizen  as  a  priest  was  unlawful. 

The  passage  17:  7-13  is  a  combination  of  the  two  narratives 
J  and  E.  According  to  the  latter  narrative,  to  which  v.  7  be- 
longs, the  Levite  whom  Micah  secured  was  one  already  living  in 
Mt.  Ephraim.  He  was  Micah's  priest  in  the  first  instance,  the 
narrative  (E)  knowing  nothing  about  the  consecration  of  Micah's 
son.  According  to  J  (vv.  8-13  in  the  main),  a  Levite  from  Beth- 
lehem-judah  seeking  a  home  came  to  Mt.  Ephraim  and  was  gladly 
employed  by  Micah  as  a  priest  in  the  place  of  his  son.  This 
latter  view,  in  connection  with  v.  5,  is  the  one  given  by  the  section 
as  a  whole.  V.  7  in  its  present  connection  reads  like  an  antici- 
patory summary  of  the  detailed  narrative  which  follows. 

7.  Beth-lehem- judah.  So  called  to  distinguish  it  from  other 
Beth-lehems,  as  the  one  in  Zebulun  (cf.  12:  8,  10);  the  modern 
Beit  Lahm,  five  miles  south  of  Jerusalem,  the  home  town  of  David, 
The  name  means  house  of  bread,  descriptive  of  its  fruitfulness ; 
hence  its  other  name  Ephrathah  (Mic.  5:2),  meaning  fruitful. 
Of  the  family  of  Judah,  who  was  a  Levite.  The  young  man  be- 
longed to  the  tribe  of  Judah,  but  by  profession  he  was  a  Levite; 
i.e.  he  was  especially  trained  to  perform  the  office  of  a  priest. 
The  tribes  of  Levi  and  Simeon,  probably  from  their  treacherous 
conduct  at  Shechem  (cf.  Gen,  34 :  25-30,  a  tale  of  tribal  history), 
were  early  dispersed  in  Israel  (Gen.  49  :  7b)  and  considerable  rem- 
nants of  both  tribes  settled  in  Judah.  Many  of  the  members  of 
the  tribe  of  Levi  followed  the  priestly  calling;  and  the  word 
Levite  came  to  have  a  professional  as  well  as  tribal  meaning. 
And  he  sojourned  there.  I.e.  dwelt  as  a  stranger  there.  The 
expression  is  used  when  one  resides  apart  from  his  own  family  or 

160 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  i8  :  I 


the  city,  out  of  Beth-lehem-judah,  to  sojourn  where 
he  could  find  a  place :  and  he  came  to  the  hill  country 
of  Ephraim  to  the  house  of  Micah,  as  he  journeyed. 
9.  And  Micah  said  unto  him,  Whence  comest  thou? 
And  he  said  unto  him,  I  am  a  Levite  of  Beth-lehem- 
judah,  and  I  go  to  sojourn  where  I  may  find  a  place. 

10.  And  Micah  said  unto  him,  Dwell  with  me,  and  be 
unto  me  a  father  and  a  priest,  and  I  will  give  thee  ten 
pieces  of  silver  by  the  year,  and  a  suit  of  apparel,  and 

11.  thy  victuals.  So  the  Levite  went  in.  And  the 
Levite  was  content  to  dwell  with  the  man ;   and  the  E 

12.  young  man  was  unto  him  as  one  of  his  sons.  And 
Micah  consecrated  the  Levite,  and  the  young  man 
became  his  priest,  and  was  in  the  house  of  Micah.   J 

13.  Then  said  Micah,  Now  know  I  that  the  Lord  will  do 
me  good,  seeing  I  have  a  Levite  to  my  priest. 

18.       In  those  days  there  was  no  king  in  Israel :  and  in   R/JE 

tribe;  hence  there  cannot  refer  to  Beth-lehem-judah,  since  the 
young  man  was  of  Judah,  but  to  the  vicinity  of  Micah's  home. 

8  f .  These  verses  are  a  doublet  of  v.  7  and  state  how  the  Levite 
happened  to  be  in  the  vicinity  of  Micah. 

10.  A  father.  A  title  of  respect  given  to  prophets,  priests, 
and  high  officers  of  state.  Joseph  (also  a  young  man)  says,  "  God 
hath  made  me  a  father  unto  Pharaoh  "  (Gen.  45  :  8).  Ten  pieces 
of  silver.  Ten  shekels  of  silver.  The  intrinsic  value  of  a  shekel 
is  about  sixty  cents,  but  its  purchasing  power  was  much  greater. 
The  offer  of  Micah  was  regarded  as  advantageous. 

13.  Micah  feels  great  satisfaction  in  having  one  regularly 
trained  for  the  priest's  office  to  minister  in  his  temple.  He  is 
confident  now  of  prosperity. 

18  :  I.   In  those  days  there  was  no  king  in  Israel.     An  editorial 

note  belonging  to  the  preceding  chapter  (cf.  17:6).     Its  place, 

as  the  opening  words  of  this  chapter,  is  due  to  the  influence  of 

the  Latin  version  which  gave  it  this  wrong  connection  with  the 

M  161 


i8  :  2  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


those  days  the  tribe  of  the  Danites  sought  them  an 
R  inheritance  to  dwell  in;    for  unto  that  day  their  in- 

heritance had  not  fallen  unto  them  among  the  tribes 
JE  2.  of  Israel.  And  the  children  of  Dan  sent  of  their 
family  five  men  from  their  whole  number,  men  of 
valour,  from  Zorah,  and  from  Eshtaol,  to  spy  out  the 
land,  and  to  search  it ;  and  they  said  unto  them.  Go, 
search  the  land:  and  they  came  to  the  hill  country 
of  Ephraim,  unto  the  house  of  Micah,  and  lodged 

3.  there.  When  they  were  by  the  house  of  Micah,  they 
knew  the  voice  of  the  young  man  the  Levite:  and 
they  turned  aside  thither,  and  said  unto  him,  Who 
brought  thee  hither?  and  what  doest  thou  in  this 

4.  place  ?  and  what  hast  thou  here  ?  And  he  said  unto 
them.  Thus  and  thus  hath  Micah  dealt  with  me,  and 


emigration  of  the  tribe  of  Dan.  And  in  those  days.  The  days 
when  Micah  had  his  temple  and  priest.  For  unto  that  day  their 
inheritance  had  not,  etc.  An  infelicitious  gloss  to  explain  the 
reason  why  the  Danites  were  seeking  new  territory.  The  tribe 
had  received  an  inheritance  west  of  Judah  bordering  on  the  land 
of  the  Philistines,  as  we  learn  from  the  story  of  Samson  (cf.  13  :  2). 
They  were,  however,  restricted  in  their  territory  through  the 
Amorites,  who  did  not  allow  them  to  enter  the  coast  plain  (i  :  34). 
Hence  the  narrowness  of  their  land  led  a  portion  of  them  to  seek 
a  new  inheritance. 

2.  From  Zorah,  and  from  Eshtaol.  See  on  13:2,  25.  And 
they  said  unto  them,  Go,  search  the  land.  This  statement  with 
the  foregoing  is  redundant  and  is  a  mark  of  the  union  of  two  nar- 
ratives. 

3.  They  knew  the  voice.  They  recognized  the  young  man 
the  Levite  by  his  dialect  or  pronunciation  as  belonging  to  their 
section  of  the  country,  the  southland  of  Judah  and  Dan.  The 
multitude  of  questions  here  asked  and  the  double  reply  in  the 
following  verse  are  further  marks  of  the  two  sources  (cf.  v.  2). 

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5.  he  hath  hired  me,  and  I  am  become  his  priest.  And 
they  said  unto  him,  Ask  counsel,  we  pray  thee,  of 
God,  that  we  may  know  whether  our  way  which  we  go 

6.  shall  be  prosperous.  And  the  priest  said  unto  them, 
Go  in  peace:  before  the  Lord  is  your  way  wherein 
ye  go. 

7.  Then  the  five  men  departed,  and  came  to  Laish, 
and  saw  the  people  that  were  therein,  how  they  dwelt 
in  security,  after  the  manner  of  the  Zidonians,  quiet 
and  secure ;  for  there  was  none  in  the  land,  possessing 
^  authority,  ^  that  might  put  them  to  shame  in  any 

1  Heb.  power  of  restraint.  2  Qr,  that  might  do  any  hurt. 

$.  A  temple  such  as  Micah's  would  be  a  place  not  less  of  seek- 
ing divine  responses  than  of  worship.  David  made  inquiries 
through  an  ephod  (cf.  i  Sam.  23  :  9  ff.). 

6.  Before  the  Lord  (Jehovah)  is  your  way  wherein  ye  go. 
You  shall  be  prospered  upon  your  journey. 

7.  Laish.  Called  Laish  only  in  this  chapter;  in  Josh.  19:47, 
Leshem.  Mentioned  very  frequently  in  the  Old  Testament  under 
its  later  name  of  Dan.  From  Dan  to  Beersheba  is  a  standard  ex- 
pression to  denote  the  extreme  northern  and  southern  limits  of  the 
land  of  Israel.  The  exact  site  of  Dan  is  in  doubt :  whether  it  was 
the  modern  Tell  el-Kadi,  "hill  of  the  judge"  (Dan  means  judge) 
or  modern  Banais,  an  hour's  distance  from  the  former  place. 
At  the  foot  of  the  hill,  el-Kadi,  are  two  great  springs  which  feed 
the  main  source  of  the  Jordan.  Banias  is  about  thirty  miles  east  of 
Tyre.  The  remainder  of  the  verse  is  in  disorder,  corrupt,  perhaps 
owing  to  the  union  of  the  two  sources.  We  should  read  :  And  (they) 
came  to  Laish.  Now  the  city  dwelt  in  security  after  the  manner  of 
the  Zidonians ,  and  they  saw  the  people  that  were  therein  quiet  and 
secure  {and  there  was  no  want  of  anything  in  the  earth)  (cf.  v.  10) 
possessing  wealth,  and  they  were  far  from  the  Zidonians  and  they  had 
no  dealing  with  any  man.  In  security.  I.e.  without  fear.  They 
were  a  peaceful  people  quietly  pursuing  their  own  occupations. 
After  the  manner  of  the  Zidonians.     The  Zidonians,  the  inhabit- 

163 


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thing,  and  they  were  far  from  the  Zidonians,  and  had 

8.  no  dealings  with  any  man.  And  they  came  imto 
their   brethren   to   Zorah   and   Eshtaol:    and   their 

9.  brethren  said  unto  them,  What  say  ye?  And  they 
said.  Arise,  and  let  us  go  up  against  them:  for  we 
have  seen  the  land,  and,  behold,  it  is  very  good :  and 
are  ye  still?  be  not  slothful  to  go  and  to  enter  in  to 

10.  possess  the  land.  When  ye  go,  ye  shall  come  unto 
a  people  secure,  and  the  land  is  large :  for  God  hath 
given  it  into  your  hand;  a  place  where  there  is  no 
want  of  any  thing  that  is  in  the  earth. 

ants  of  Zidon,  on  the  coast  north  of  Tyre,  represent  the  Phoeni- 
cians, an  unwarlike,  commercial  people.  The  men  of  Laish  were 
of  a  similar  peaceful  disposition.  Far  from  the  Zidonians.  Some 
thirty  miles,  but  considering  the  intervening  rugged  and  hilly 
country  sufl&ciently  far  to  be  without  protection  from  the  Phoeni- 
cians. And  had  no  dealings  with  any  man.  A  surprising 
statement  of  a  people  resembling  the  commercial  Phoenicians. 
A  change  of  less  than  an  entire  Hebrew  letter  gives  the  reading, 
and  they  had  no  dealings  with  the  Arameans  (Syrians).  They  had 
no  treaty  relationship  with  their  Aramean  neighbors  on  the  east 
which  might  have  afforded  them  protection,  hence  their  position 
was  defenceless. 

8.  What  say  ye?     Better,  What  have  ye  seen? 

9.  Let  us  go  up  against  them.  The  words  against  them  imply 
that  Laish  was  the  object  of  the  expedition,  which  hardly  accords 
with  v.  2.  Hence  some  read.  Let  us  go  up  unto  Laish,  and  also, 
Be  not  slothful  to  go  unto  Laish. 

10.  For  God  hath  given  it  into  your  hand.  This  sentence  is 
logically  out  of  place,  either  by  copyist's  blunder  or  through  the 
imskilful  weaving  of  sources  together.  One  may  transpose  it  and 
the  remainder  of  the  verse  with  the  preceding  part  of  the  verse. 
Then  joining  with  v.  9b  we  have.  Be  not  slothful  to  go  and  to  enter 
in  to  possess  the  land,  lob.  for  God  hath  given  it  into  your  hand,  a 
place  where  there  is  no  want  of  anything  that  is  in  the  earth.  loa.  When 
ye  go  ye  shall  come  unto  a  people  secure,  and  the  land  is  large. 

164 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  i8  :  15 


11.  And  there  set  forth  from  thence  of  the  family  of 
the  Danites,  out  of  Zorah  and  out  of  Eshtaol,  six 

12.  hundred  men  girt  with  weapons  of  war.  And  they 
went  up,  and  encamped  in  Kiriath-jearim,  in  Judah : 
wherefore  they  called  that  place  Mahaneh-dan,  unto 

13.  this  day:  behold,  it  is  behind  Kiriath-jearim.  And 
they  passed  thence  unto  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim, 

14.  and  came  unto  the  house  of  Micah.  Then  answered 
the  five  men  that  went  to  spy  out  the  country  of  Laish, 
and  said  unto  their  brethren.  Do  ye  know  that  there 
is  in  these  houses  an  ephod,  and  teraphim,  and  a 
graven  image,  and  a  molten  image?  now  therefore 

15.  consider  what  ye  have  to  do.  And  they  turned  aside 
thither,  and  came  to  the  house  of  the  young  man  the 

12.  Kiriath-jearim.  One  of  the  cities  of  the  Gibeonite  con- 
federacy (Josh.  9:  17),  later  celebrated  as  the  abode  of  the  ark 
(i  Sam.  6:21;  7  :  I  flF.).  Usually  it  is  identified  with  the  modern 
Kuriet  el-'enab  (Abu  Ghosh)  some  nine  or  ten  miles  west  of  Jeru- 
salem on  the  road  to  Joppa.  The  distance  from  the  territory  of 
Dan  was  a  small  day's  journey.  Mahaneh-dan.  The  name 
means  "  Camp  of  Dan."  According  to  13  :  25,  a  place  of  this 
name  lay  between  Zorah  and  Eshtaol.  This  then  must  have  been 
another  place  of  the  same  name.  Unto  this  day.  When  the  story 
was  written  the  place  was  thus  called.  Behold,  it  is  behind 
Kiriath-jearim.  This  statement  that  it  was  behind  (i.e.  west  of) 
Kiriath-jearim  is  an  editorial  note. 

14.  An  ephod,  and  teraphim,  and  a  graven  image,  and  a  molten 
image.  The  mention  of  these  four  idols  here  and  in  v.  17,  and  of 
three  in  vv.  18  and  20,  is  a  mark  either  of  the  union  of  material 
from  different  sources  or  of  scribal  annotation  based  on  17:  3-5 
(which  see). 

15.  This  verse  seems  to  hang  in  the  air  and  from  the  mention 
of  the  yotmg  man  the  Levite  is  probably  from  E  (cf.  17:  7j  iib, 
12b),  while  the  verses  immediately  preceding  and  following  may 
be  assigned  to  J.     It  is  not  improbable  that,  according  to  E,  while 

165 


l8  :  16  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


Levite,  even  unto  the  house  of  Micah,  and  asked  him 

16.  of  his  welfare.  And  the  six  hundred  men  girt  with  their 
weapons  of  war,  who  were  of  the  children  of  Dan, 

17.  stood  by  the  entering  of  the  gate.  And  the  five  men 
that  went  to  spy  out  the  land  went  up,  and  came  in 
thither,  and  took  the  graven  image,  and  the  ephod, 
and  the  teraphim,  and  the  molten  image:  and  the 
priest  stood  by  the  entering  of  the  gate  with  the  six  hun- 

18.  dred  men  girt  with  weapons  of  war.  And  when  these 
went  into  Micah's  house,  and  fetched  the  graven 
image,  the  ephod,  and  the  teraphim,  and  the  molten 


the  spies  exchanged  salutations  with  the  Levite,  the  armed  men 
seized  the  idols  of  Micah.  The  narrative  of  J,  on  the  other 
hand,  as  given  in  vv.  16  ff.,  represents  the  armed  men  standing 
guard  at  the  gate  of  the  village  or  compound  of  Micah,  while  the 
five  spies  plunder  the  temple  and  persuade  the  priest,  who  is 
presumably  at  the  temple,  to  go  along  with  them.  Even  unto 
the  house  of  Micah.     These  words  are  plainly  a  gloss. 

17.  And  the  priest  stood.  The  mention  of  the  priest  here 
in  connection  with  the  armed  men  at  the  gate  is  most  easily 
explained  as  a  copyist's  error.  The  sentence  then  would  read, 
And  the  six  hundred  men  girt  with  weapons  of  war  stood  by  the  en- 
tering of  the  gate.  But  even  this  may  be  a  copyist's  repetition  of 
v.  16. 

18.  And  when  these.  The  word  when  is  not  expressed  in  the 
Hebrew  text.  These  may  either  refer  to  spies,  or  the  six  hundred 
men.  In  the  latter  case  i8a  is  the  doublet  of  17a  and  gives  the 
story  of  E  (see  v.  15). 

The  seizure  of  Micah's  idol  by  the  Danites  was  not  an  ordinary 
robbery.  It  had  a  deep  underlying  religious  motive.  They  were 
going  to  found  a  new  home  in  territory  outside  Israel  and  hence, 
in  their  crude  thought,  not  under  the  protection  of  Jehovah  their 
God.  To  bring  this  land  under  the  protection  of  Jehovah  they 
needed  some  object  in  which  he  dwelt ;  and  what  better  one  could 
they  have  than  the  image  through  which  success  had  been  promised 

166 


THE   BOOK  OF  JUDGES  18:25 


19.  image,  the  priest  said  unto  them,  What  do  ye  ?  And 
they  said  unto  him,  Hold  thy  peace,  lay  thine  hand 
upon  thy  mouth,  and  go  with  us,  and  be  to  us  a  father 
and  a  priest:  is  it  better  for  thee  to  be  priest  unto 
the  house  of  one  man,  or  to  be  priest  unto  a  tribe  and 

20.  a  family  in  Israel  ?  And  the  priest's  heart  was  glad, 
and  he  took  the  ephod,  and  the  teraphim,  and  the 
graven  image,  and  went  in  the  midst  of. the  people. 

21.  So  they  turned  and  departed,  and  put  the  little  ones 

22.  and  the  cattle  and  the  goods  before  them.  When 
they  were  a  good  way  from  the  house  of  Micah,  the 
men  that  were  in  the  houses  near  to  Micah 's  house 
were  gathered  together,  and  overtook  the  children  of 

23.  Dan.  And  they  cried  unto  the  children  of  Dan. 
And  they  turned  their  faces,  and  said  unto  Micah, 
What  aileth  thee,  ^  that  thou  comest  with  such  a 

24.  company?  And  he  said.  Ye  have  taken  away  my 
gods  which  I  made,  and  the  priest,  and  are  gone  away, 
and  what  have  I  more?  and  how  then  say  ye  unto 

25.  me,  What  aileth  thee?    And  the  children  of  Dan 

1  Heb.  that  thou  art  gathered  together. 

their  spies  on  their  journey  (cf.  v.  6)  ?  The  writer  of  the  story  ex- 
presses no  abhorrence  of  their  deed ;  on  the  other  hand,  in  the  vivid 
narration  of  vv.  19  fif.  his  sympathies  seem  to  be  with  the  spoilers. 

19.  A  father  and  a  priest.     See  on  17  :  10, 

20.  The  graven  image.  The  Greek  version  adds,  and  the 
molten  image. 

21.  And  put  the  little  ones  and  the  cattle  and  the  goods  before 
them.  The  proper  order  of  march  for  defence  when  the  Danites 
expected  pursuit  and  attack  from  Micah  and  his  neighbors. 

22-26.  This  narrative  of  the  fruitless  pursuit  of  Micah  and  his 
neighbors  is  exceeding  graphic,  especially  so  in  the  irony  and  ruth- 

167 


l8  :  26  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


said  unto  him,  Let  not  thy  voice  be  heard  among  us, 
lest  ^  angry  fellows  fall  upon  you,  and  thou  lose  thy 

26.  life,  with  the  lives  of  thy  household.  And  the  chil- 
dren of  Dan  went  their  way:  and  when  Micah  saw 
that  they  were  too  strong  for  him,  he  turned  and 

27.  went  back  unto  his  house.  And  they  took  that  which 
Micah  had  made,  and  the  priest  which  he  had,  and 
came  unto  Laish,  unto  a  people  quiet  and  secure, 
and  smote  them  with  the  edge  of  the  sword;    and 

28.  they  burnt  the  city  with  fire.  And  there  was  no 
deliverer,  because  it  was  far  from  Zidon,  and  they 
had  no  dealings  with  any  man;  and  it  was  in  the 
valley   that   Keth   by   Beth-rehob.    And   they  built 

29.  the  city,  and  dwelt  therein.  And  they  called  the 
name  of  the  city  Dan,  after  the  name  of  Dan  their 
father,  who  was  born  unto  Israel :   howbeit  the  name 

J  30.  of  the  city  was  Laish  at  the  first.  And  the  children 
of  Dan  set  up  for  themselves  the  graven  image :  and 
Jonathan,  the  son  of  Gershom,  the  son  of  ^  Moses,  he 
and  his  sons  were  priests  to  the  tribe  of  the  Danites 

^  Heb.  bitter  of  soul.  2  Another  reading  is,  Manasseh. 

less  defiance  of  the  Danites  (vv.  23,  25)  and  the  pathetic  though 
useless  appeal  of  Micah  (v.  24). 

28.  Cf,  V.  7.  Beth-rehob.  This  place  has  not  been  surely- 
identified.  All  that  we  know  about  it  is  that  it  must  have  been 
in  the  vicinity  of  Dan.  Rehob  is  mentioned  in  Num.  13:21 
as  the  northern  limit  of  the  exploration  of  Moses'  spies.  Beth-re- 
hob appears  also  as  the  name  of  an  Aramean  state  (2  Sam.  10:6,  8). 

30.  Jonathan,  the  son  of  Gershom,  the  son  of  Moses.  This 
Gershom  is  mentioned  as  the  son  of  Moses  in  Exod.  2:22;  18:3. 
The  Hebrew  text  has  a  letter  n  written  above  the  word  Moses, 
and  by  inserting  it  we  secure  the  marginal  reading,  Manasseh. 

168 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  19 


31.   until  the  day  of  the  captivity  of  the  land.     So  they  E 
set  them  up  Micah's  graven  image  which  he  made, 
all  the  time  that  the  house  of  God  was  in  Shiloh. 

II.  The  Sin  of  Gibeah  and  its  Consequences, 
Chapters  19-21 

19.       And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  when  there  was  JE 
no  king  in  Israel,  that  there  was  a  certain  Levite  so- 


The  change  was  suggested  by  some  late  reader  who  took  offence 
at  the  thought  that  an  idolatrous  shrine  should  have  had  a  legiti- 
mate priesthood.  Descent  from  the  idolatrous  king  Manasseh 
seemed  more  appropriate.  Until  the  day  of  the  captivity  of  the 
land  probably  refers  to  the  captivity  of  the  people  of  northern 
Galilee  by  Tiglathpileser  in  734  (cf.  2  Kgs.  15  :  29). 

31.  All  the  time  that  the  house  of  God  was  in  Shiloh.  That 
there  was  a  "  house  of  Jehovah  "  at  Shiloh,  we  learn  from  i  Sam. 
1 :  24;  cf.  3:  15.  It  is  clear  that  this  was  a  temple  and  not  a 
tent.  When  this  temple  was  destroyed  we  do  not  know,  but  the 
fact  of  its  destruction  is  mentioned  in  Jer.  7:  12,  14;  26:9. 
Shiloh,  the  modern  Seilun,  lay  in  the  territory  of  Ephraim,  twelve 
miles  south  of  Shechem  and  about  ten  miles  north-northeast  of 
Bethel.     For  biblical  description  of  site  see  21:19. 

Chapters  19-21.  This  second  narrative  in  the  appendix  relates 
the  events  of  a  civil  war  directed  against  the  tribe  of  Benjamin.  A 
certain  Levite  of  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim  goes  to  Bethlehem  of 
Judah  to  bring  back  his  concubine  who  has  deserted  him.  On  the 
return  journey  she  is  so  maltreated  by  worthless  men  of  Gibeah  of 
Benjamin  that  she  dies.  Hereupon  the  Levite  calls  on  all  the  tribes 
of  Israel  to  avenge  the  outrage,  and  in  the  war  which  follows  the 
whole  tribe  of  Benjamin  is  destroyed  except  six  hundred  men.  In 
order  to  provide  these  men  with  wives  and  thus  preserve  the 
tribe  from  extinction,  the  Israelites  send  a  punitive  expedition 
against  the  city  of  Jabesh-gilead,  where  they  spare  only  four  hun- 
dred virgins  alive.  These  are  given  to  the  remnant  of  Benjamin. 
The  remaining  Benjamites  are  instructed  to  seize  wives  from 
among  the  daughters  of  Shiloh, 

169 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


journing  on  the  farther  side  of  the  hill  country  of 
Ephraim,  who  took  to  him  a  concubine  out  of  Beth- 

2.  lehem-judah.  And  his  concubine  played  the  har- 
lot against  him,  and  went  away  from  him  unto  her 
father's  house  to  Beth-lehem-judah,  and  was  there 

3.  the  space  of  four  months.     And  her  husband  arose, 

In  its  present  form  this  narrative  comes  from  the  post-exilic 
period,  as  is  shown  by  the  language,  the  exaggerated  numbers, 
the  exceptional  unity  of  the  tribes,  and  the  conception  of  Israel 
as  a  church.  However,  these  indications  of  late  date  are  confined 
chiefly  to  20:  1-21 :  14.  The  remaining  portion  (19;  21:  15  ff.) 
is  of  the  same  general  character  as  other  parts  of  Judges,  and  in 
the  main  seems  to  have  been  derived  from  J,  although  passages 
from  an  E  narrative  apparently  have  been  incorporated. 

The  late  section  is  of  little  or  no  historical  value,  but  the  older 
narrative  doubtless  points  to  an  early  event  of  importance  in 
which  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  suffered  severely.  This  must  have 
occurred  much  earlier  than  the  position  of  the  story  in  the  Book 
of  Judges  would  suggest,  since  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  had  cer- 
tainly recovered  strength  at  the  time  of  Saul. 

19  :  1-9.  An  unnamed  Levite  has  a  concubine  from  whom  he  be- 
comes estranged  and  she  returns  to  her  father's  house  in  Bethlehem. 
Thither  he  follows  to  bring  her  back,  and  is  gladly  received  and 
entertained  by  the  damsel's  father,  who  persuades  him  to  post- 
pone his  departure  repeatedly. 

1.  In  those  days,  when  there  was  no  king  in  Israel.  See  on 
17:6;  18:1;  21:25.  Editorial,  and  connects  this  narrative 
with  the  preceding  story.  Sojourning.  See  on  17:  7.  On  the 
farther  side  of  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim.  Probably  the  northern 
side.  This  description  bespeaks  a  Judean  point  of  view.  A 
concubine  out  of  Beth-lehem-judah.  Thus  this  Levite  is  brought 
into  connection  with  Bethlehem  as  is  the  Levite  in  the  preceding 
narrative,  cf.  17 :  7. 

2.  The  text  is  dubious.  Played  the  harlot  against  him  is 
not  very  agreeable  to  the  context.  The  reading  of  the  oldest 
Gr.,  was  angry  with  him,  is  perhaps  original.  Certainly  it  suits 
the  context  far  better. 

170 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


and  went  after  her,  to  speak  ^  kindly  unto  her,  to 
bring  ^  her  again,  having  his  servant  with  him,  and 
a  couple  of  asses:  and  she  brought  him  into  her  fa- 
ther's house :  and  when  the  father  of  the  damsel  saw 

4.  him,  he  rejoiced  to  meet  him.  And  his  father  in  law, 
the  damsel's  father,  retained  him ;  and  he  abode  with 
him  three  days :  so  they  did  eat  and  drink,  and  lodged 

5.  there.  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  fourth  day,  that 
they  arose  early  in  the  morning,  and  he  rose  up  to 
depart :  and  the  damsel's  father  said  unto  his  son  in 
law.  Comfort  thine  heart  with  a  morsel  of  bread,  and 

1  Heb.  to  her  heart.  *  Another  reading  is,  it,  that  is,  her  heart. 

3.  To  speak  kindly  unto  her.  Cf.  Gen.  34 :  3 ;  Hos.  2 :  14. 
To  bring  her  again  is  doubtless  the  original  reading  and  is  to  be 
preferred  to  that  of  the  margin.  She  brought  him  into  her 
father's  house  should  more  likely  read  with  the  oldest  Greek 
version,  he  went  to  her  father's  house. 

4.  A  guest  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  staying  three  days  and 
three  nights,  and  on  the  other  hand  his  host  might  require 
him  to  stay  that  length  of  time.  The  latter  right  was  not  fre- 
quently exercised,  but  from  the  words  retained  him  and  in 
view  of  the  host's  subsequent  actions,  it  seems  to  have  been  in 
this  case. 

5.  They  arose  early  in  the  morning,  and  he  rose  up  to  depart. 
The  last  clause  may  better  be  rendered,  he  stood  up  to  depart. 
The  subject  of  the  first  verb,  they,  probably  refers  to  the  guest 
and  his  host  as  in  the  preceding  verse.  A  departing  guest  was  not 
expected  to  partake  of  food  before  leaving  in  the  morning,  but 
simply  to  bid  his  host  adieu.  Courtesy  required  that  the  host 
also  should  rise  early.  We  might  expect  a  plural  subject  in  the 
second  clause,  since  there  were  several  in  the  party  about  to 
set  out.  However,  it  was  the  place  of  the  head  of  the  little 
company  to  give  the  signal  to  depart  by  rising,  hence  the  singular 
is  really  more  suitable,  cf .  vv.  7,  8.  Morsel  of  bread  is  becoming 
modesty  on  the  part  of  the  host.     Compare  Gen.  18 :  5-8,  where 

171 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


6.  afterward  ye  shall  go  your  way.  So  they  sat  down, 
and  did  eat  and  drink,  both  of  them  together:  and 
the  damsel's  father  said  unto  the  man,  Be  content, 
I  pray  thee,  and  tarry  all  night,  and  let  thine  heart 

7.  be  merry.  And  the  man  rose  up  to  depart ;  but  his 
father  in  law  urged  him,  and  he  lodged  there  again. 

8.  And  he  arose  early  in  the  morning  on  the  fifth  day  to 
depart;  and  the  damsel's  father  said,  Comfort  thine 
heart,  I  pray  thee,  and  tarry  ye  until  the  day  de- 

9.  clineth ;  and  they  did  eat,  both  of  them.  And  when 
the  man  rose  up  to  depart,  he,  and  his  concubine, 
and  his  servant,  his  father  in  law,  the  damsel's  fa- 
ther, said  unto  him.  Behold,  now  the  day  draweth 
toward  evening,  I  pray  you  tarry  all  night:  behold, 


the  morsel  consists  of  cakes  baked  from  three  measures  of  fine 
meal,  a  tender  calf,  and  butter  and  milk. 

6.  Both  of  them  together.  Neither  the  woman  nor  the  guest's 
servant  would  share  in  such  a  feast.  Let  thine  heart  be  merry. 
Cf.  16:  25. 

7.  And  the  man  rose  up  to  depart.  As  in  v.  5,  he  gives 
the  signal  for  departure  by  rising.  Urged  him.  After  remain- 
ing for  the  full  time  allotted  to  a  guest  by  custom,  the  Levite 
could  not  well  remain  longer  without  this  urgent  appeal. 

8.  Tarry  ye  imtil  the  day  declineth.  I.e.  until  the  afternoon. 
In  the  next  verse  this  is  urged  as  a  reason  for  again  postponing 
departure,  a  typical  Oriental  scene. 

9.  The  invitation  to  stay  overnight  is  repeated  in  nearly 
the  same  words,  but  in  the  first  instance  the  verb  is  plural  and 
in  the  second  singular.  The  approach  of  sunset  is  also  urged 
both  times  as  the  reason  for  tarryimg.  This  may  indicate  a 
double  source,  or  a  corrupt  text,  since  some  Gr.  Mss.  omit  one 
invitation.  Very  likely,  however,  we  have  simply  a  graphic 
description  of  an  enthusiastic  host  pressing  his  cordial  hospitality 
upon  his  guest.     Compare  the  twofold  invitation  on  the  fourth 

172 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  19 


the  day  groweth  to  an  end,  lodge  here,  that  thine 
heart  may  be  merry;    and  to-morrow  get  you  early 

10.  on  your  way,  that  thou  mayest  go  ^  home.  But  the 
man  would  not  tarry  that  night,  but  he  rose  up  and 
departed,  and  came  over  against  Jebus  (the  same  is 
Jerusalem) :  and  there  were  with  him  a  couple  of 
asses   saddled;    his   concubine   also   was   with  him. 

11.  When  they  were  by  Jebus,  the  day  was  far  spent; 
and  the  servant  said  unto  his  master,  Come,  I  pray 
thee,  and  let  us  turn  aside  into  this  city  of  the  Jebu- 

12.  sites,  and  lodge  in  it.  And  his  master  said  unto  him, 
We  will  not  turn  aside  into  the  city  of  a  stranger, 

1  Heb.  to  thy  tents. 


day,  vv.  6,  7.  Such  a  scene  is  not  merely  Oriental  but  intensely 
human.  It  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  that  the  afternoon  was 
far  advanced.  Under  the  circumstances  the  host  exaggerates. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Levite  travelled  eight  or  ten  miles  before 
sunset. 

10-21.  The  Levite  finally  departs  in  the  afternoon  of  the  fifth 
day,  accompanied  by  his  concubine  and  his  servant.  Sunset  over- 
takes the  little  party  near  Gibeah  of  Benjamin,  whither  they 
turn  aside  for  the  night.  After  waiting  in  the  street  for  some 
time,  an  old  man,  a  sojourner  in  the  city,  perceives  the  travellers 
and  takes  them  into  his  house  as  his  guests. 

10.  Jebus  appears  as  the  name  of  Jerusalem  also  in  i  Chron. 
11:4,  5;  cf.  Josh.  15:8;  18:16,  28.  It  was  once  commonly 
supposed  that  Jebus  was  the  ancient  name  of  the  town,  but  the 
city  is  known  as  Urusalim  in  the  Armana  letters  dating  from 
1400  B.C.  Hence  it  is  altogether  likely  that  the  name  Jebus 
was  derived  from  Jebusites,  the  name  of  the  people  from  whom 
David  took  the  city  of  Jerusalem.  Instead  of  the  final  with  him 
some  Gr.  Mss.  read  and  his  servant. 

12.  The  Levite  refused  to  trust  himself  to  the  hospitality  of 
strangers,  and  preferred  to  press  onward  to  a  town  inhabited  by 

173 


13  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 

^  that  is  not  of  the  children  of  Israel ;  but  we  will  pass 

13.  over  to  Gibeah.  And  he  said  unto  his  servant,  Come 
and  let  us  draw  near  to  one  of  these  places ;   and  we 

14.  will  lodge  in  Gibeah,  or  in  Ramah.  So  they  passed 
on  and  went  their  way ;  and  the  sun  went  down  upon 
them  near  to  Gibeah,  which  belongeth  to  Benjamin. 

15.  And  they  turned  aside  thither,  to  go  in  to  lodge  in 
Gibeah:  and  he  went  in,  and  sat  him  down  in  the 
street  of  the  city:   for  there  was  no  man  that  took 

16.  them  into  his  house  to  lodge.  And,  behold,  there 
came  an  old  man  from  his  work  out  of  the  field 
at  even;   now  the  man  was  of  the  hill  country  of 

^  Or,  where  there  are  none  of  the  children  of  Israel. 

brother  Israelites.  No  doubt  the  conversation  near  Jerusalem 
was  introduced  to  emphasize  the  heinousness  of  the  crime  of 
the  Gibeathites.  Gibeah  is  probably  the  same  as  the  town  known 
as  Gibeah  of  Saul,  and  is  distinct  from  Geba,  with  which  it  has 
frequently  been  confused.  The  name  means  simply  "  hill." 
Its  indentification  with  the  modern  Tell  el-Ful,  about  four  miles 
north  of  Jerusalem,  satisfies  the  conditions  of  our  narrative. 

13.  Ramah.  The  modern  er-Ram,  about  two  miles  beyond 
Gibeah. 

15.  For  there  was  no  man  that  took  them  into  his  house  to 
lodge.  Inns  were  not  known,  hence  the  traveller  was  dependent 
upon  the  hospitality  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  towns  where  he 
tarried.  Custom  demanded  that  the  guest  should  spare  no  pains 
to  reach  his  stopping  place  before  sunset,  that  he  might  give  his 
host  sufficient  time  to  prepare  a  proper  meal.  This  the  Levite 
had  failed  to  do.  A  proverb  runs,  "  He  who  arrives  after  sundown 
goes  supperless  to  bed." 

16.  Finally  an  old  man  comes  in  from  his  work  in  the  field. 
The  narrative  describes  him  as  a  sojourner  in  Gibeah,  that  is, 
a  stranger  who  had  put  himself  under  the  protection  of  the  town 
or  tribe.     Having  no  kinsmen  in  the  city  to  fight  for  him,  he  was 

174 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


17.  Ephraim,  and  he  sojourned  in  Gibeah :  but  the  men 
of  the  place  were  Benjamites.  And  he  Hfted  up  his 
eyes,  and  saw  the  wayfaring  man  in  the  street  of  the 
city;    and  the  old  man  said,  Whither  goest  thou? 

18.  and  whence  comest  thou?  And  he  said  unto  him, 
We  are  passing  from  Beth-lehem-judah  unto  the 
farther  side  of  the  hill  country  of  Ephraim;  from 
thence  am  I,  and  I  went  to  Beth-lehem-judah :  ^  and 
I  am  now  going  to  the  house  of  the  Lord  ;  and  there 

19.  is  no  man  that  taketh  me  into  his  house.  Yet  there 
is  both  straw  and  provender  for  our  asses ;  and  there 
is  bread  and  wine  also  for  me,  and  for  thy  handmaid, 
and  for  the  young  man  which  is  with  thy  servants: 

20.  there  is  no  want  of  any  thing.  And  the  old  man 
said,  Peace  be  unto  thee;  howsoever  let  all  thy 
wants  lie  upon  me;    only  lodge  not  in  the  street. 

21.  So  he  brought  him  into  his  house,  and  gave  the  asses 

^  The  Sept.  has,  and  I  am  going  to  my  house. 

naturally  at  the  mercy  of  the  baser  element  of  the  population. 
Cf.   Gen.  19:  I  flF. 

17.  The  old  man  sees  the  traveller  and  his  party  waiting  in  the 
public  square,  and  puts  to  him  the  questions  still  asked  of  the 
stranger  in  Palestine,  Whither  goest  thou?  and  whence  comest 
thou?     Cf.  17:9;  Gen.  16  :  8 ;    Zech.  2  :  2. 

18.  I  am  now  going  to  the  house  of  the  Lord  (Jehovah). 
Not  suitable  to  the  context.  Neither  Bethel  (cf.  20:18,  26) 
nor  Shiloh  (cf.  i  Sam.  1:7;  3:3)  was  the  destination  of  the 
Levite,  but  some  unnamed  place  on  the  farther  side  of  the  hill 
country  of  Ephraim.  The  Greek  version  has  and  I  am  going 
to  my  home,  which  is  probably  original. 

19-20.  They  do  not  ask  for  full  hospitality,  since  they  are 
adequately  provided  with  food ;  but  the  old  man  insists  that  all 
the  entertainment  shall  be  at  his  expense. 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


fodder :  and  they  washed  their  feet,  and  did  eat  and 

22.  drink.  As  they  were  making  their  hearts  merry, 
behold,  the  men  of  the  city,  certain  ^  sons  of  ^  BeHal, 
beset  the  house  round  about,  beating  at  the  door ;  and 
they  spake  to  the  master  of  the  house,  the  old  man, 
saying,  Bring  forth  the  man  that  came  into  thine 

23.  house,  that  we  may  know  him.  And  the  man,  the 
master  of  the  house,  went  out  unto  them,  and  said 
unto  them.  Nay,  my  brethren,  I  pray  you,  do  not  so 
wickedly;    seeing  that  this  man  is  come  into  mine 

R  24.  house,  do  not  this  folly.  Behold,  here  is  my  daugh- 
ter a  maiden,  and  his  concubine;  them  I  will  bring 
out  now,  and  humble  ye  them,  and  do  with  them  what 
seemeth  good  unto  you:    but  unto  this  man  do  not 

1  Or,  base  fellows.  ^  That  is,  worthlessness. 

22-28.  As  the  old  man  and  his  guest  give  themselves  up  to  the 
pleasure  of  the  evening,  they  are  rudely  interrupted  by  rough  men 
of  the  city,  who  demand  that  the  guest  be  given  over  to  their  evil 
desires.  The  host  tries  to  shelter  the  Levite,  who,  to  save  him- 
self, finally  surrenders  his  concubine  to  their  wish.  At  daybreak 
he  finds  her  dead  at  the  door.  Placing  her  body  upon  an  ass,  he 
departs  for  his  place. 

22.  Sons  of  Belial.  The  etymology  and  exact  meaning  of  the 
word  Belial  is  dubious.  The  phrase  has  been  rendered,  sons 
of  worthlessness.  From  the  context  here  and  elsewhere  it  is 
clearly  a  strongly  opprobrious  epithet  for  which  the  marginal 
base  fellows  seems  altogether  too  mild.  Vile  scoundrels  expresses 
more  nearly  the  character  of  these  men.  The  whole  incident  has 
a  close  parallel  in  Gen.  19:4  ff. 

23.  Seeing  that  this  man  is  come  into  mine  house.  A  guest 
was  entitled  to  the  protection  of  his  host  during  the  period  of 
his  stay  and  for  three  days  after  his  departure. 

24.  This  verse  is  generally  regarded  as  a  late  gloss  suggested 
by   Gen.  19 :  8  and    introduced  to  bring   this  story  into  closer 

176 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  19 

25.  any  such  folly.     But  the  men  would  not  hearken  to   JE 
him :    so  the  man  laid  hold  on  his  concubine,  and 
brought  her  forth  unto  them ;  and  they  knew  her,  and 
abused  her  all  the  night  until  the  morning :  and  when 

26.  the  day  began  to  spring,  they  let  her  go.  Then  came 
the  woman  in  the  dawning  of  the  day,  and  fell  down  at 
the  door  of  the  man's  house  where  her  lord  was,  till  it 

27.  was  light.  And  her  lord  rose  up  in  the  morning,  and 
opened  the  doors  of  the  house,  and  went  out  to  go  his 
way:  and,  behold,  the  woman  his  concubine  was 
fallen  down  at  the  door  of  the  house,  with  her  hands 

28.  upon  the  threshold.  And  he  said  unto  her,  Up,  and 
let  us  be  going;  but  none  answered:  then  he  took 
her  up  upon  the  ass ;  and  the  man  rose  up,  and  gat  him 

29.  unto  his  place.  And  when  he  was  come  into  his 
house,  he  took  a  knife,  and  laid  hold  on  his  concubine, 

conformity  with  the  similar  narrative  of  Genesis.  The  resem- 
blances are  even  verbal  and  too  close  to  be  merely  accidental. 
No  reference  is  made  to  this  offer  in  the  following  verses,  and  v.  25 
joins  V.  23  naturally. 

25.  The  act  of  the  Levite  in  deliberately  giving  up  the  woman 
to  the  vile  lust  of  the  mob  is  both  cowardly  and  contemptible  in 
our  eyes,  yet  the  writer  of  the  narrative  finds  no  cause  for  con- 
demning his  action. 

26-27.  This  pathetic  scene  is  graphically  portrayed.  At  the 
first  peep  of  dawn  the  woman  is  deserted,  and  amidst  the  dark 
shadows  of  the  gathering  light  she  gropes  her  painful  way  to  the 
door  of  the  house  where  her  lord  apparently  spent  a  peaceful 
night.  There  in  the  full  daylight  he  finds  her  lying  prostrate 
with  her  outstretched  hands  clutching  the  threshold. 

28.  At  first  the  Levite  thought  the  woman  asleep.  When 
he  found  her  dead,  he  placed  her  body  upon  his  ass  and  departed. 

29.  And  divided  her,  limb  by  limb,  into  twelve  pieces.  Ap- 
parently the  twelve  pieces  are  not  intended  to  suggest  the  twelve 

N  177 


30  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


and  divided  her,  ^  limb  by  limb,  into  twelve  pieces,  and 
30.  sent  her  throughout  all  the  borders  of  Israel.  And 
it  was  so,  that  all  that  saw  it  said,  There  was  no  such 
deed  done  nor  seen  from  the  day  that  the  children  of 
Israel  came  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  unto  this  day : 
consider  of  it,  take  counsel,  and  speak. 
R^  20.       Then  all  the  children  of  Israel  went  out,  and  the 

1  Heb.  according  to  her  bones. 

tribes,  for  in  that  case  we  should  expect  the  narrative  to  proceed 
"  a  piece  for  each  tribe  of  Israel."  The  limbs  seem  to  have  been 
divided  according  to  the  twelve  joints,  the  head  and  trunk  not 
being  sent  abroad.  And  sent  her  throughout  all  the  borders  of 
Israel.  In  the  same  fashion  Saul  cut  a  yoke  of  oxen  into  pieces 
in  Gibeah  and  sent  them  throughout  all  the  borders  of  Israel  as 
a  call  to  war,  with  the  added  threat  that  so  it  should  be  done 
to  the  oxen  of  every  man  who  failed  to  obey  the  summons  (i  Sam. 
II :  7).  Here  no  stated  verbal  threat  accompanied  the  gruesome 
spectacles,  but  the  fate  of  the  inhabitants  of  Jabesh-gilead  who 
ignored  the  appeal  (21 :  10  f.)  suggests  that  this  procedure  con- 
tained a  well-understood,  hidden  threat. 

30.  The  Hebrew  text  for  this  verse  does  not  seem  to  be  intact. 
The  commands  at  the  end  would  come  more  naturally  from  the 
Levite  or  his  messengers.  The  oldest  Greek  version  reads.  And 
he  charged  the  men  whom  he  sent  out,  saying,  Thus  shall  ye  say  to 
all  the  men  of  Israel,  Did  ever  a  thing  like  this  happen,  etc.,  which 
is  very  likely  original. 

Chapter  20.  The  story  of  the  civil  war  directed  against  Benjamin 
is  of  late  origin  and  of  the  same  general  character  as  P  and  Chroni- 
cles, but  contains  an  early  element  which  was  the  original  continua- 
tion of  chap.  19.  Either  a  late  author  rewrote  the  narrative, 
taking  the  older  account  as  a  base,  and  then  a  later  redactor  united 
the  two;  or  the  late  writer,  with  a  priestly  interest,  expanded 
and  altered  the  early  story,  to  bring  it  into  harmony  with  his 
point  of  view,  according  to  the  method  with  which  the  Chronicler 
has  made  us  so  familiar. 

i-ii.  In  response  to  the  call  of  the  Levite,  all  the  people  gather 
178 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  20 


congregation  was  assembled  as  one  man,  from  Dan  even 
to  Beersheba,  with  the  land  of  Gilead,  unto  the  Lord 
2.  at  Mizpah.  And  the  ^  chiefs  of  all  the  people,  ^  even 
of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel,  presented  themselves  in  the 
assembly  of  the  people  of  God,  four  hundred  thou- 

1  Heb.  corners.  *  Or,  even  all. 


together  at  Mizpah  to  deliberate  concerning  the  evil  done  at 
Gibeah.  The  Levite,  having  been  called  upon,  gives  a  recital 
of  the  affair  and  of  his  subsequent  action  in  calling  the  people 
together.  The  assembly  thereupon  resolves  to  punish  the  per- 
petrators of  the  crime. 

1.  And  the  congregation  was  assembled  as  one  man.  This 
points  clearly  to  a  post-exilic  author.  The  conception  of  the  people 
as  a  congregation  or  church  who  could  be  called  upon  to  act 
as  one  man  stands  out  in  striking  contrast  to  the  lack  of  unity 
and  feeling  of  national  or  religious  solidarity  which  is  plainly 
evident  in  all  the  old  stories  of  the  judges.  From  Dan  even  to 
Beersheba  describes  the  territory  which  Israel  occupied,  by  its 
northern  and  southern  limits,  cf.  i  Sam.  3:  20;  2  Sam.  3:  10; 
17:11;  24:2,  15;  I  Kgs.  4:25.  The  Chronicler  reverses  the 
order,  i.e.  from  Beersheba  to  Dan,  cf.  i  Chron.  21:  2;  2  Chron. 
30:5.  Dan.  See  on  18:7.  Beersheba.  The  modern  Bir  es- 
Seba',  lies  twenty-eight  miles  southwest  of  Hebron,  and  was  an 
ancient  sanctuary.  The  land  of  Gilead  is  used  here  to  include 
all  the  Israelites  east  of  the  Jordan.  Mizpah  was  an  ancient  holy 
place  (cf.  I  Sam.  7:55.;  10 :  17  ff.),  hence  the  descriptive  words 
tmto  the  Lord.  It  is  generally  identified  with  the  modern  Nebi 
Samwil,  about  three  miles  west  of  Gibeah.  In  the  days  of  Asa 
it  marked  the  northern  limits  of  the  Judean  Kingdom  (i  Kgs. 
15:  22). 

2.  The  chiefs.  Literally  corners.  The  metaphor  compares 
the  leaders  of  the  people  to  the  strong  corner  towers  of  a  city 
wall.  The  same  figure  appears  in  i  Sam.  14:38  ;  Isa.  19:  13. 
Even  of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel.  The  Hebrew  has  simply  all  the 
tribes  of  Israel,  before  which  an  and  must  be  inserted  if  the  phrase 
is  not  a  gloss.     The  assembly  of  the  people  of  God  is  again  a 

179 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


J  3.  sand  footmen  that  drew  sword.  (Now  the  children 
of  Benjamin  heard  that  the  children  of  Israel  were 
gone  up  to  Mizpah.)  And  the  children  of  Israel  said, 
Tell  us,  how  was  this  wickedness  brought  to  pass? 

4.  And  the  Levite,  the  husband  of  the  woman  that  was 
murdered,  answered  and  said,  I  came  into  Gibeah 
that  belongeth  to  Benjamin,  I  and  my  concubine,  to 

5.  lodge.  And  the  men  of  Gibeah  rose  against  me,  and 
beset  the  house  round  about  upon  me  by  night;  me 
they  thought  to  have  slain,  and  my  concubine  they 

6.  forced,  and  she  is  dead.  And  I  took  my  concubine, 
and  cut  her  in  pieces,  and  sent  her  throughout  all  the 
country  of  the  inheritance  of  Israel:    for  they  have 

7.  committed  lewdness  and  folly  in  Israel.  Behold,  ye 
children  of  Israel,  all  of  you,  give  here  your  advice 

8.  and  counsel.  And  all  the  people  arose  as  one  man, 
saying,  We  will  not  any  of  us  go  to  his  tent,  neither 

late  expression;  see  v.  i.  Four  hundred  thousand  footmen 
that  drew  sword.  The  number  is  greatly  exaggerated  according 
to  the  custom  of  late  writers.  In  the  time  of  Deborah  only 
forty  thousand  were  mustered  (5:8). 

3.  The  Benjamites  could  hardly  avoid  hearing  of  the  assembly 
at  Mizpah,  which  lay  in  the  midst  of  their  land.  The  Levite 
is  called  upon  first  to  tell  his  story. 

4.  The  husband.  Literally  the  man,  which  may  properly  be 
rendered  husband,  since  concubinage  was  a  form  of  marriage. 

5.  The  men  of  Gibeah.  In  the  Hebrew  the  word  for  men 
is  different  from  that  of  19:  22,  and  may  be  translated  lords, 
i.e.  the  Levite  accused  the  free  citizens  of  Gibeah  of  having 
wrought  this  outrage,  and  not  an  irresponsible  ruffian  element. 
Hence  it  was  necessary  to  appeal  to  the  tribe  to  secure  adequate 
punishment  of  the  crime. 

8.  We  will  not  any  of  us  go  to  his  tent  is  an  exact  parallel  to 
neither  will  we  any  of  us  turn  unto  his  house.     On  tent  for 

180 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


9.   will  we  any  of  us  turn  unto  his  house.     But  now  this   R^ 
is  the  thing  which  we  will  do  to  Gibeah ;  we  will  go  up 

10.  against  it  by  lot;  and  we  will  take  ten  men  of  an 
hundred  throughout  all  the  tribes  of  Israel,  and  an 
hundred  of  a  thousand,  and  a  thousand  out  of  ten 
thousand,  to  fetch  victual  for  the  people,  that  they 
may  do,  when  they  come  to  ^  Gibeah  of  Benjamin, 
according  to  all  the  folly  that  they  have  wrought  in 

11.  Israel.  So  all  the  men  of  Israel  were  gathered  against 
the  city,  knit  together  as  one  man. 

12.  And  the  tribes  of  Israel  sent  men  through  all  the 
2  tribe  of  Benjamin,  saying.  What  wickedness  is  this  that 

13.  is  come  to  pass  among  you?    Now  therefore  deliver 

1  Heb.  Geba.  *  Heb.  tribes.     See  Num.  4:  18;  i  Sam.  9:  21. 

house  cf.  19:9  (also  margin).  The  double  expression  has  been 
taken  as  an  indication  of  a  twofold  source. 

9-10.  Instead  of  returning  home  they  determined  to  go  up 
against  Gibeah.  The  verb  is  lacking  in  the  last  part  of  v.  9  and 
has  been  supplied  from  the  Greek  version,  we  will  go  up,  but  this 
looks  like  an  easy  conjecture.  Other  versions  fill  in  the  gap  other- 
wise. Since  the  phrase  by  lot  is  almost  required  in  v.  10,  possibly 
we  have  an  early  transposition  and  should  read,  Now  we  will  take 
by  lot  ten  men,  etc.  In  the  last  part  of  v.  10  the  Hebrew  text 
is  obscure.  It  is  certainly  the  sense  of  the  passage  that  the  main 
body  of  the  people,  after  omitting  the  foragers,  shall  punish  the 
Gibeathites. 

12-16.  The  Israelites  at  first  try  to  avoid  war  by  opening  nego- 
tiations with  the  tribe  of  Benjamin  for  the  surrender  of  the  vile 
scoundrels  who  had  perpetrated  the  outrage.  The  Benjamites 
refuse  to  accede  to  this  demand  and  muster  their  forces  for  battle. 

12.  Tribe  of  Benjamin.  Hebrew  has  tribes,  as  also  in  i  Sam. 
9:  21.  If  not  a  blunder,  subdivisions  of  the  tribe  are  intended; 
cf.  Num.  4:  18. 

13.  The  Israelites  demanded  that  the  men  of  Benjamin  seek 

181 


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up  the  men,  the  ^  sons  of  ^  Belial,  which  are  in  Gibeah, 

that  we  may  put  them  to  death,  and  put  away  evil 

from  Israel.    But  ^  Benjamin  would  not  hearken  to  the 

J   14.   voice  of  their  brethren  the  children  of  Israel.    And 

the  children  of  Benjamin  gathered  themselves  together 

out  of  the  cities  unto  Gibeah,  to  go  out  to  battle  against 

RP  15.   the  children  of  Israel.     And  the  children  of  Benjamin 

were  numbered  on  that  day  out  of  the  cities  twenty 

and  ^  six  thousand  men  that  drew  sword,  besides  the 

inhabitants  of  Gibeah,  which  were  numbered  seven 

16.   hundred  chosen  men.     Among  all  this  people  there 

^  Or,  base  fellows.        ^  That  is,  worthies sness.        »  Another  reading  is,  the  children 
oj  Benjamin.        <  According  to  some  ancient  authorities,  jive. 

out  the  criminals  and  deliver  them  up  to  be  put  to  death.  It  was 
the  notion  of  the  ancient  Hebrews  that  the  guilt  of  a  criminal 
clung  to  the  entire  community  if  they  allowed  him  to  go  un- 
punished. If  a  tribe  refused  to  punish  a  guilty  member,  the  tribe 
became  an  accessory  to  the  act.  So  also  the  whole  people  were 
in  danger  of  suffering  the  consequences  of  guilt  if  they  failed  to 
extirpate  it  from  their  midst,  hence  the  words,  put  away  evil  from 
Israel.  The  latter  phrase  occurs  a  number  of  times  in  Deuter- 
onomy, and  nowhere  else.     Sons  of  Belial.     See  on  19:  22. 

14.  Anticipating  an  attack  upon  Gibeah,  against  which  alone 
the  grievance  held,  the  Benjamites  made  it  the  place  of  assemblage. 

15.  The  children  of  Benjamin  mustered  twenty-six  thousand 
fighting  men  besides  seven  hundred  warriors  from  the  city  of 
Gibeah.  According  to  v.  35  twenty-five  thousand  one  hundred 
men  of  Benjamin  were  slain,  and  after  adding  to  this  number 
the  six  hundred  who  escaped,  we  have  a  discrepancy  of  one  thou- 
sand. According  to  the  figures  in  vv.  44-47,  the  discrepancy  is 
eleven  hundred.  Some  commentators  have  supposed  this  to 
represent  the  unrecorded  slain  in  the  first  two  days'  fighting. 
The  oldest  Greek  version  has  twenty-five  thousand  here  in  v.  15, 
which  then  agrees  with  v.  35,  but  there  still  remains  a  dis- 
crepancy of  one  hundred  when  compared  with  vv.  44~47- 

182 


THE   BOOK  OF  JUDGES  20:17 


were  seven  hundred  chosen  men  lefthanded;    every 
one  could  sling  stones  at  an  hair-breadth,  and  not  miss. 
17.       And  the  men  of  Israel,  beside  Benjamin,  were  num- 
bered four  hundred  thousand  men  that  drew  sword: 


16.  The  repetition  of  the  words  seven  hundred  chosen  men 

is  suspicious  and  they  are  wanting  in  the  Greek  version,  which 
also  joins  the  last  word  of  v.  15,  chosen,  to  this  verse.  On  the 
basis  of  Greek  the  verse  may  be  restored  as  follows  :  Chosen  from 
all  this  people  were  lefthanded,  etc.  Every  one  could  sling  stones 
at  an  hair-breadth,  and  not  miss.  This  marvelous  accuracy  is 
a  part  of  the  natural  exaggeration  which  usually  characterizes 
this  school  of  late  writers. 

17-28.  Over  against  the  twenty-six  thousand  seven  hundred 
Benjamites,  the  Israelites  muster  four  hundred  thousand  warriors. 
After  asking  counsel  of  God  at  Bethel,  they  go  out  to  battle 
against  Benjamin.  The  latter  sally  forth  from  Gibeah  and  in 
the  attack  slay  twenty-two  thousand  Israelites.  On  the  second  day 
the  defeated  army  of  Israel  offers  battle  in  the  same  place,  ap- 
parently after  having  again  sought  counsel  of  the  Lord  at  Bethel. 
In  the  second  day's  battle  Israel  is  again  defeated  with  the  loss 
of  eighteen  thousand  slain.  The  discouraged  Israelites  then  re- 
tire to  Bethel,  where  they  weep  before  the  Lord,  and  after  having 
offered  sacrifice,  inquire  of  the  oracle  whether  they  shall  continue 
the  war  against  Benjamin  or  cease.  The  oracle  bids  them  con- 
tinue and  promises  success  on  the  following  day. 

This  narrative  has  all  the  characteristics  of  the  late  so-called 
Midrashic  literature.  Human  power  avails  little  or  nothing. 
God  directs  the  war  through  the  oracle.  Greater  numbers  are 
useless  without  his  favor.  For  some  unstated  reason  the  Lord 
was  unfavorable  to  the  Israelites  on  the  first  two  days,  hence  their 
vast  army  became  an  easy  victim  to  the  onslaughts  of  the  children 
of  Benjamin,  who  apparently  escaped  unscathed  after  slaying 
on  each  day  a  number  almost  equal  to  their  total  fighting  strength. 

17.  Beside  Benjamin,  The  writer  thinks  of  Israel  as  necessa- 
rily including  all  the  tribes,  hence  in  the  interest  of  exactness 
adds  the  observation  that  here  Benjamin  is  not  included.  On 
the  number  see  v.  2. 

183 


THE  BOOK   OF  JUDGES 


1 8.  all  these  were  men  of  war.  And  the  children  of  Israel 
arose,  and  went  up  to  Beth-el,  and  asked  counsel  of 
God;  and  they  said.  Who  shall  go  up  for  us  first  to 
battle  against  the  children  of  Benjamin  ?  And  the  Lord 
T  19.  said,  Judah  shall  go  up  first.  And  the  children  of  Israel 
rose  up  in  the  morning,  and  encamped  against  Gibeah. 
rp  20.  And  the  men  of  Israel  went  out  to  battle  against 
Benjamin;    and  the  men  of  Israel  set  the  battle  in 

21.  array  against  them  at  Gibeah.  And  the  children  of 
Benjamin  came  forth  out  of  Gibeah,  and  destroyed 
down  to  the  ground  of  the  Israelites  on  that  day 

22.  twenty  and  two  thousand  men.  And  the  people, 
the  men  of  Israel,  encouraged  themselves,  and  set 
the  battle  again  in  array  in  the  place  where  they  set 

23.  themselves  in  array  the  first  day.     (And  the  children 


18.  Beth-el.  See  on  1:22.  The  vast  army  of  the  Israelites 
is  represented  as  first  marching  three  or  four  miles  northward  to 
Bethel  to  inquire  of  the  oracle  which  tribe  should  open  the  attack, 
the  answer  being,  Judah.  This  passage  is  evidently  borrowed 
from  I :  I  f.  and  probably  by  the  author  of  our  narrative  rather 
than  a  later  interpolator.  In  the  following  verses  Judah  does 
not  figure  again  by  name,  but  this  is  not  inconsistent  if  we  think 
of  Judah  as  only  leading  the  attack  in  which  all  took  part  (cf. 
I  Chron.  11:6).  The  outraged  and  murdered  concubine  came 
from  Bethlehem  of  Judah,  hence  the  designation  of  that  tribe 
to  strike  the  first  blow  toward  avenging  the  deed  is  in  place. 

19-20.  These  verses  constitute  a  doublet.  V.  19  is  usually 
regarded  as  a  remnant  of  the  old  narrative,  and  v.  20  as  coming 
from  the  late  author  who  put  the  story  into  its  present  form. 

22.  After  the  defeat  of  the  first  day,  the  Israelites  set  them- 
selves in  battle  array  against  Benjamin  in  the  same  place. 

23.  Either  this  verse  originally  stood  before  v.  22,  and  was 
accidentally  transposed,  or  it  is  a  late  interpolation  derived 
from  vv.  26-28.     The  word  Beth-el  has  probably  fallen  from  the 

184 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


of  Israel  went  up  and  wept  before  the  Lord  until  even ; 
and  they  asked  of  the  Lord,  saying,  Shall  I  again  draw 
nigh  to  battle  against  the  children  of  Benjamin  my 
brother  ?    And  the  Lord  said,  Go  up  against  him.) 

24.  And  the  children  of  Israel  came  near  against  the 

25.  children  of  Benjamin  the  second  day.  And  Benjamin 
went  forth  against  them  out  of  Gibeah  the  second  day, 
and  destroyed  down  to  the  ground  of  the  children  of 
Israel  again  eighteen  thousand  men ;    all  these  drew 

26.  the  sword.  Then  all  the  children  of  Israel,  and  all 
the  people,  went  up,  and  came  unto  Beth-el,  and  wept, 
and  sat  there  before  the  Lord,  and  fasted  that  day 
until  even ;  and  they  offered  burnt  offerings  and  peace 

27.  offerings  before  the  Lord.  And  the  children  of  Israel 
asked  of  the  Lord,  (for  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of  God 

28.  was  there  in  those  days,  and  Phinehas,  the  son  of 
Eleazar,  the  son  of  Aaron,  stood  before  it  in  those 

text  (cf.  vv.  18,  26),  hence  read  the  children  of  Israel  went  up 

to  Beth-el. 

26.  The  defeated  people  sought  to  propitiate  the  evident  anger 
of  Jehovah  by  weeping  (cf.  Deut.  i :  45  ;  Ezra  10 :  i ;  Joel  2  :  17), 
and  fasting  (cf.  i  Sam.  7:6;  Joel  i :  14;  2  :  15),  and  by  bring- 
ing burnt  offerings  and  peace  offerings.  The  burnt  offerings 
were  wholly  burned  upon  the  altar.  Only  the  fat  of  the  peace 
offerings  was  burned,  after  which  the  priest  took  his  portion,  and 
the  remainder  was  eaten  in  a  common  meal  by  the  worshippers. 

27-28.  The  parenthesis  explaining  that  the  ark  of  the  covenant 
was  in  Bethel  in  those  days  is  a  late  insertion  to  explain,  no 
doubt,  why  these  religious  rites  did  not  take  place  at  Shiloh,  where 
the  ark  was  supposed  to  have  remained  from  the  days  of  Joshua 
(Josh.  18:  I,  10)  to  the  time  of  Eli  (i  Sam.  4:  3).  The  ark  is 
not  mentioned  elsewhere  in  the  Book  of  Judges.  Phinehas,  the 
son  of  Eleazar,  the  son  of  Aaron.  The  glossator  with  a  priestly 
interest  further  legalizes  the  sacrifice  at  Bethel  by  introducing 

185 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


days,)  saying,  Shall  I  yet  again  go  out  to  battle  against 
the  children  of  Benjamin  my  brother,  or  shall  I  cease  ? 
And  the  Lord  said,  Go  up;  for  to-morrow  I  will 
J  29.  deliver  him  into  thine  hand.  And  Israel  set  Hers  in 
wait  against  Gibeah  round  about. 
RP  30.  And  the  children  of  Israel  went  up  against  the  chil- 
dren of  Benjamin  on  the  third  day,  and  set  themselves 

a  priest  of  the  family  of  Aaron.  The  mention  of  Phinehas,  the 
third  in  line,  dates  the  story  in  the  first  generation  of  the  Hebrews 
in  Western  Palestine.  This  date  is  probably  no  more  than  a  guess, 
though  it  is  likely  that  the  incident  occurred  early  in  the  period 
of  the  judges. 

29-48.  The  account  of  the  battle  on  the  third  day  is  repetitious 
and  confused.  The  first  onslaught  of  the  Benjamites,  narrated 
in  vv.  31,  32a,  is  repeated  in  briefer  form  in  v.  39.  V.  35 
is  a  closing  summary  of  the  battle,  giving  the  number  of  Ben- 
jamites who  fell,  but  in  v.  36  we  are  again  at  the  beginning  of 
the  struggle  and  the  number  of  dead  is  summoned  up  a  second 
time  in  vv.  44-46.  It  is  altogether  probable  that  we  have  here 
a  portion  of  the  old  J  narrative  to  which  may  be  ascribed,  but 
with  a  considerable  degree  of  uncertainty,  vv.  29,  33a,  34,  36b, 
37a,  38-42a,  44a,  47.  The  remaining  portions  are  late  additions. 
No  analysis  of  the  passage  can  be  very  satisfactory  since  we  un- 
doubtedly have  to  deal  with  a  very  corrupt  Hebrew  text. 

The  stratagem  of  the  battle  resembles  closely  that  employed 
by  Joshua  at  the  capture  of  Ai  (Josh.  8 :  i  ff.),  and  seems  to  have 
proceeded  something  on  this  wise.  The  Israelites  laid  an  ambush 
against  the  town  of  Gibeah,  and  the  main  army  drew  up  for  battle 
at  Baal-tamar.  While  the  battle  was  being  hotly  waged,  the  Hers 
in  wait,  composed  of  ten  thousand  chosen  men,  pressed  nearer  to 
the  city.  In  the  meantime  the  main  body  fell  back,  feigning 
flight,  to  draw  the  Benjamites  away  from  Gibeah,  whereupon 
the  Hers  in  wait  made  a  sudden  attack.  It  had  been  agreed  that 
these  warriors  should  signal  their  success  by  causing  a  great  cloud 
of  smoke  to  rise.  The  Benjamites  pursued  the  forces  of  Israel, 
believing  themselves  to  be  victorious  as  on  the  previous  days.  At 
the  appearance  of  the  signal  the  Israelites  turned  on  their  enemies, 

186 


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31.  in  array  against  Gibeah,  as  at  other  times.  And  the 
children  of  Benjamin  went  out  against  the  people, 
and  were  drawn  away  from  the  city ;  and  they  began 
to  smite  and  kill  of  the  people,  as  at  other  times,  in 
the  high  ways,  of  which  one  goeth  up  to  Beth-el, 
and  the  other  to  Gibeah,  in  the  field,  about  thirty  men 

32.  of  Israel.  And  the  children  of  Benjamin  said,  They 
are  smitten  down  before  us,  as  at  the  first.  But  the 
children  of  Israel  said,  Let  us  flee,  and  draw  them  away 

33.  from  the  city  unto  the  high  ways.    And  all  the  men  of  J 
Israel  rose  up  out  of  their  place,  and  set  themselves 

in  array  at  Baal-tamar;  and  the  Hers  in  wait  of  Israel  R^ 
brake  forth  out  of  their  place,  even  out  of  ^  Maareh- 


1  Or,  the  meadow  of  Geba  (or  Gibeah.    See  v.  10). 


who  soon  perceived  that  they  had  been  trapped,  and  they  fled 
toward  the  wilderness  with  a  loss  of  eighteen  thousand  men. 
Only  six  hundred  escaped. 

31.  And  were  drawn  away  from  the  city.  More  exactly  they 
were  drawn,  etc.,  without  the  introductory  and.  This  clause  is 
parenthetical  in  the  Hebrew,  and  is  probably  a  gloss  borrowed 
from  Josh.  8 :  16.  In  the  high  ways,  of  which  one  goeth  up  to 
Beth-el,  and  the  other  to  Gibeah.  An  attack  on  the  road  to  Bethel 
is  natural  since  the  army  of  Israel  was  returning  from  that  place, 
but  to  Gibeah  is  unintelligible,  since  the  thought  is  certainly  of  a 
road  leading  from  Gibeah.  Hence  we  should  probably  read 
Giheon,  which  requires  the  change  of  only  one  letter  in  the  Hebrew. 
About  a  mile  to  the  north  of  Gibeah  the  main  road  divides,  the 
trunk  running  north  to  Bethel  and  a  branch  running  northwest 
to  Gibeon.  The  fighting  must  have  occurred  somewhere  near 
this  point.     Gibeon  is  identified  with  the  modern  el  Jib. 

33.  Baal-tamar,  meaning  "  Baal  of  the  palm  tree,"  is  not 
mentioned  elsewhere;  neither  has  the  place  been  identified. 
Some  writers  would  connect  it  with  Deborah's  palm  (cf.  4 : 5), 
but  against  this  is  the  location  of  the  latter  "  between  Ramah  and 

187 


34  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


J  34.  geba.  And  there  came  over  against  Gibeah  ten  thou- 
sand chosen  men  out  of  all  Israel,  and  the  battle  was 
sore :  but  they  knew  not  that  evil  was  ^  close  upon 
R^  35.  them.  And  the  Lord  smote  Benjamin  before  Israel : 
and  the  children  of  Israel  destroyed  of  Benjamin  that 
day  twenty  and  five  thousand  and  an  hundred  men : 
all  these  drew  the  sword. 

36.  So  the  children  of  Benjamin  saw  that  they  were  smit- 
J          ten:   for  the  men  of  Israel  gave  place  to  Benjamin, 

because  they  trusted  unto  the  Hers  in  wait  which  they 

37.  had  set  against  Gibeah.     And  the  liers  in  wait  hasted, 
R  and  rushed  upon  Gibeah ;   and  the  hers  in  wait  drew 

^  Heb.  touching. 

Bethel."  Maareh-geba  is  merely  a  transliteration  of  the  Hebrew. 
Doubtless  we  should  correct  and  read  with  the  ancient  versions, 
west  of  Gibeah.  West  of  Geba  is  too  far  from  the  city  of  Gibeah 
for  an  ambush. 

34.  The  ten  thousand  did  not  at  this  time  attack  Gibeah,  but 
merely  took  advantage  of  the  distraction  of  their  enemies  to  gain 
a  nearer  position  from  which  they  could  quickly  rush  into  the  city. 
The  Benjamites  in  the  heat  of  the  struggle  did  not  perceive  their 
danger. 

35.  The  Lord  smote  Benjamin.  The  Israelites  did  not  win 
either  because  of  their  vastly  superior  forces,  nor  through  their 
stratagem,  but  because  Jehovah  was  favorable  to  their  cause. 
On  the  numbers,  see  v.  15.  This  verse  breaks  into  the  narrative 
prematurely  and  is  doubtless  a  late  interpolation. 

36.  So  the  children  of  Benjamin  saw  that  they  were  smitten. 
This  clause  is  late  and  belongs  with  the  previous  verse.  The 
remainder  of  the  verse  continues  the  old  account  of  the  battle. 
The  Israelites  fall  back  to  draw  their  enemies  away  from  Gibeah 
and  thus  give  the  liers  in  wait  their  opportunity. 

37.  The  latter  half  of  this  verse  is  probably  a  gloss,  since  it 
merely  repeats  what  is  said  in  the  first  half.  This  is  further 
supported  by  the  grammatical  construction. 

188 


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themselves  along,  and  smote  all  the  city  with  the  edge 

38.  of  the  sword.  Now  the  appointed  sign  between  the 
men  of  Israel  and  the  liers  in  wait  was,  that  they  should 
make  a  great  cloud  of  smoke  rise  up  out  of  the  city. 

39.  ^  And  the  men  of  Israel  turned  in  the  battle,  and  Ben- 
jamin began  to  smite  and  kill  of  the  men  of  Israel 
about  thirty  persons :   for  they  said.  Surely  they  are 

40.  smitten  down  before  us,  as  in  the  first  battle.  But 
when  the  cloud  began  to  arise  up  out  of  the  city  in  a 
pillar  of  smoke,  the  Benjamites  looked  behind  them, 
and,  behold,  the  whole  of  the  city  went  up  in  smoke 

41.  to  heaven.  And  the  men  of  Israel  turned,  and  the 
men  of  Benjamin  were  amazed :  for  they  saw  that  evil 

42.  was  come  upon  them.  Therefore  they  turned  their 
backs  before  the  men  of  Israel  unto  the  way  of  the 

^  Or,  And  the  men  .  .  .  battle:    {now  Benjamin  .  .  .  heaven:)  and  the  men  brc. 

39.  And  the  men  of  Israel  turned  in  the  battle.  This  state- 
ment is  out  of  place  here.  The  cloud  of  smoke  has  not  yet  risen, 
and  the  actual  turning  about  is  described  in  its  proper  place  (v.  41). 
We  should  join  the  clause  with  the  previous  verse  and  render, 
and  that  the  men  of  Israel  should  turn  about  in  the  battle.  About 
thirty  persons  is  a  ridiculously  small  number  to  flush  the  Ben- 
jamites with  confidence  of  easy  victory,  in  a  war  where  thousands 
have  already  been  slain  (cf.  vv.  21,  25).  However  the  very  small- 
ness  of  the  number  suggests  that  it  comes  down  from  the  original 
account,  in  which,  no  doubt,  all  the  numbers  were  more  credible. 

40.  The  liers  in  wait  set  fire  to  the  city,  and  when  the  smoke 
began  to  arise,  the  Benjamites  turned  and  at  once  realized  their 
danger ;  cf .  Josh.  8  :  20.  The  whole.  The  same  Hebrew  word 
is  used  of  the  whole  burnt  offering;   cf.  Deut.  13 :  16  margin. 

41.  At  the  signal  of  the  burning  city  the  Israelites  turned  on 
their  foes.  Were  amazed.  ARV.  has  were  dismayed.  Evil 
was  come  upon  them.     Cf.  v.  34. 

42.  And  they  which  came  out  of  the  cities  destroyed  them  in 

i8q 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


RP  wilderness ;   but  the  battle  followed  hard  after  them ; 

and  ^  they  which  came  out  of  the  cities  destroyed  them 

43.   in  the  midst  thereof.     They  inclosed  the  Benjamites 

round  about,  and  chased  them,  and  ^  trode  them  down 

^  at  their  resting  place,  as  far  as  over  against  Gibeah 

J  44.   toward  the  sunrising.    And  there  fell  of  Benjamin 

RP  eighteen  thousand  men ;  all  these  were  men  of  valour. 

45.   And  they  turned  and  fled  toward  the  wilderness  unto 

the  rock  of  Rimmon :  and  they  gleaned  of  them  in  the 

high  ways  five  thousand  men ;  and  followed  hard  after 

^  Or,  them  which  came  .  .  .  they  destroyed.    *  Or,  overtook  them.    *  Or,  a/  Menuhah. 

the  midst  thereof.  This  is  unsuitable  to  the  context,  since 
the  Benjamites  were  fleeing  through  their  own  territory.  The 
marginal  reading  is  merely  an  attempt  to  smooth  out  the  diflficulty. 
Doubtless  the  text  is  corrupt,  and  it  probably  read  originally,  as 
the  Latin  version  suggests,  and  those  from  the  city  (Gibeah)  were 
slaughtering  him  (Benjamin)  in  their  midst,  i.e.  the  liers  in  wait, 
having  accomplished  the  destruction  of  the  city,  came  out  and 
joined  the  attack,  thus  enclosing  the  fleeing  Benjamites. 

43.  The  Hebrew  text  for  this  verse  is  very  corrupt.  Instead 
of  they  inclosed  the  Benjamites  round  about  we  should  read  with 
the  oldest  Greek  version  they  cut  Benjamin  to  pieces.  The  second 
verb  occurs  in  this  form  nowhere  else  in  the  Old  Testament  or 
later  Hebrew.  It  maybe  due  to  dittography  of  the  following  verb, 
which  it  closely  resembles  in  the  Hebrew.  Trode  them  down  at 
their  resting  place  is  obscure  and  is  not  much  improved  by  the 
marginal  reading,  at  Menuhah.  Possibly  the  latter  part  should 
be  rendered  after  the  Greek  version,  from  Nohah  (cf.  i  Chron. 
8:2).  Finally  Gibeah  is  hardly  correct,  since  it  is  evident  that 
the  Benjamites  were  pursued  for  some  distance.  Geba  has  been 
suggested  since  it  is  likely  that  the  pursuit  was  in  that  direction. 
The  verse  may  be  rendered  tentatively  as  follows :  They  cut 
Benjamin  to  pieces  and  trode  them  down  from  Nohah  as  far  as  over 
against  Geba  on  the  east. 

45.  Rimmon.  The  modern  Rammon,  about  three  miles  east 
190 


THE  BOOK  .OF  JUDGES 


them  unto  Gidom,  and  smote  of  them  two  thousand 

46.  men.     So  that  all  which  fell  that  day  of  Benjamin 
were  twenty  and  five  thousand  men  that  drew  the 

47.  sword ;  all  these  were  men  of  valour.     But  six  hundred  J 
men  turned  and  fled  toward  the  wilderness  unto  the 
rock  of  Rimmon,  and  abode  in  the  rock  of  Rimmon 

48.  four  months.     And  the  men  of  Israel  turned  again  R^ 
upon  the  children  of  Benjamin,  and  smote  them  with 
the  edge  of  the  sword,  both  ^  the  entire  city,  and  the 
cattle,  and  all  that  they  found :  moreover  all  the  cities 
which  they  found  they  set  on  fire. 

21.       Now  the  men  of  Israel  had  sworn  in  Mizpah,  saying,  J 

1  Or,  as  otherwise  read,  the  inhabiled  city.      See  Deut.  2  :  34. 

of  Bethel,  lying  on  a  high,  rocky  hill.  Nothing  further  is  known 
of  Gidom. 

46.    For  comment  on  the  numbers  see  v.  15. 

48.  The  entire  city.  The  marginal  reading,  the  inhabited  city, 
lit.  the  city  of  men,  is  better.  They  destroy  everything  as  in  the 
case  of  a  city  devoted  to  destruction;  cf.  Deut.  13  :  12  £f. 

Chapter  21  contains  two  separate  accounts  of  how  wives  were 
secured  for  the  Benjamite  survivors.  These  two  were  skilfully 
harmonized  by  the  statement  that  the  second  plan  was  adopted 
to  supplement  the  first  (v.  i6a).  The  first  account  (vv.  1-14) 
is  of  late  origin,  and  the  writer  probably  had  the  second  before 
him  (cf.  the  last  clause  in  v.  14).  The  second  is  in  the  main  from 
the  early  source  (J)  and  knew  nothing  of  how  four  hundred  Ben- 
jamites  had  already  been  provided  with  wives  (cf.  vv.  15,  17). 

1-14.  When  the  men  of  Israel  realize  the  extent  of  the  destruction 
wrought  by  the  war,  they  bewail  the  fact  that  a  tribe  will  now  be 
lacking  in  Israel.  Of  their  late  enemies  only  six  hundred  men 
remain,  and  they  have  sworn  not  to  give  their  daughters  to  them 
to  wife.  Since  the  oath  cannot  be  recalled,  they  hit  upon  the 
plan  of  punishing  the  inhabitants  of  Jabesh-gilead  for  not  joining 
in  the  war,  and  at  the  same  time  securing  wives  for  the  men  of 

191 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


There  shall  not  any  of  us  give  his  daughter  unto  Ben- 

RF     2.   jamin   to   wife.     And  the  people   came   to   Beth-el, 

and  sat  there  till  even  before  God,  and  lifted  up  their 

3.  voices,  and  wept  sore.  And  they  said,  O  Lord,  the 
God  of  Israel,  why  is  this  come  to  pass  in  Israel, 
that  there  should  be  to-day  one    tribe   lacking   in 

4.  Israel?  And  it  came  to  pass  on  the  morrow,  that 
the  people  rose  early,  and  built  there  an  altar, 
and   offered    burnt    offerings    and    peace    offerings. 

5.  And  the  children  of  Israel  said.  Who  is  there  among 
all  the  tribes  of  Israel  that  came  not  up  in 
the  assembly  unto  the  Lord?  For  they  had  made 
a  great  oath  concerning  him  that  came  not  up  unto 
the  Lord  to  Mizpah,  saying,  He  shall  surely  be  put  to 

6.  death.  And  the  children  of  Israel  repented  them  for 
Benjamin  their  brother,  and  said.  There  is  one  tribe 

Benjamin.  Hence  twelve  thousand  warriors  are  sent  against 
Jabesh,  and  they  utterly  destroy  all  the  inhabitants  except  four 
hundred  virgins,  who  are  given  to  the  survivors  of  Benjamin. 

1.  The  men  of  Israel  had  sworn.  The  oath  was  sacred  and 
could  not  be  recalled,  though  there  seems  to  have  been  no  scruples 
about  circumventing  it.  This  verse  probably  belongs  to  the  old 
story. 

2.  The  people  came  to  Bethel  as  they  had  done  previously  to 
consult  the  oracle.  There  they  sat  until  evening,  weeping  before 
God;  cf.  20 :  23,  26. 

4.  Built  there  an  altar  seems  strange,  since  Bethel  was  an  an- 
cient holy  place,  and  they  had  previously  sacrificed  there  (20 :  26). 
Burnt  offerings  and  peace  offerings.     See  on  20 :  26. 

5.  For  they  had  made  a  great  oath  concerning  him  that  came 
not  up.  This  is  not  an  exact  rendering  of  the  Hebrew,  which 
should  be  translated,  For  the  great  curse  was  (or  had  beeji  pronounced) 
upon  every  one  who  did  not  go  up. 

6.  This  verse  is  parallel  to  and  dependent  upon  v.  15  of  the 

192 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


7.  cut  off  from  Israel  this  day.  How  shall  we  do  for 
wives  for  them  that  remain,  seeing  we  have  sworn  by 
the  Lord  that  we  will  not  give  them  of  our  daughters 

8.  to  wives  ?  And  they  said,  What  one  is  there  of  the 
tribes  of  Israel  that  came  not  up  unto  the  Lord  to 
Mizpah  ?    And,  behold,  there  came  none  to  the  camp 

9.  from  Jabesh-gilead  to  the  assembly.  For  when  the 
people  were  numbered,  behold,  there  were  none  of  the 

10.  inhabitants  of  Jabesh-gilead  there.  And  the  congre- 
gation sent  thither  twelve  thousand  men  of  the  val- 
iantest,  and  commanded  them,  saying,  Go  and  smite 
the  inhabitants  of  Jabesh-gilead  with  the  edge  of  the 

11.  sword,  with  the  women  and  the  little  ones.  And  this 
is  the  thing  that  ye  shall  do ;  ye  shall  utterly  destroy 
every  male,  and  every  woman  that  hath  lien  by  man. 

12.  And  they  found  among  the  inhabitants  of  Jabesh- 
gilead  four  hundred  young  virgins,  that  had  not 
known  man   by  lying  with  him :  and  they  brought 

older  narrative.     Their  brother.     Cf.   20 :  23,  28.     There  is  one 
tribe  cut  off.     As  a  branch  from  a  tree ;   cf.  Isa.  10 :  ^$. 

7.  For  them  that  remain.  I.e.  the  six  hundred  at  the  rock  of 
Rimmon,  20 :  47. 

8.  Jabesh-gilead  is  generally  identified,  following  Robinson, 
with  ed-Deir  in  the  Wady  Yabis,  which  preserves  the  ancient 
name,  though  its  site  remains  a  matter  of  dispute.  The  town  is 
mentioned  several  times  in  the  Old  Testament  in  connection  with 
Saul  (i  Sam.  11 ;    31 :  11-13  ;    2  Sam.  2  :  4  f . ;    21:12  f.). 

ID.  Go  and  smite  the  inhabitants  of  Jabesh-gilead.  It  is  an 
interesting  reversal  of  history  that  later  Saul  of  Gibeah  (probably 
the  same  town  mentioned  in  this  narrative)  gathered  the  forces  of 
all  Israel  together  by  a  similar  device,  and  led  them  forth  to  the 
rescue  of  the  inhabitants  of  this  same  Jabesh-gilead  (i  Sam.  11). 

11.  Compare  the  command  in  Num.  31  :  17,18. 

12.  Shiloh,  which  is  in  the  land  of  Canaan.     It  is  difficult 

o  193 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


them  unto  the  camp  to  Shiloh,  which  is  in  the  land 
of  Canaan. 

13.  And  the  whole  congregation  sent  and  spake  to  the 
children  of  Benjamin  that  were  in  the  rock  of  Rimmon, 

14.  and  proclaimed  peace  unto  them.  And  Benjamin 
returned  at  that  time ;  and  they  gave  them  the  women 
which  they  had  saved  alive  of  the  women  of  Jabesh- 

J  15.  gilead:  and  yet  so  they  sufficed  them  not.  And  the 
people  repented  them  for  Benjamin,  because  that  the 
Lord  had  made  a  breach  in  the  tribes  of  Israel. 


to  see  why  the  writer  should  have  thought  it  necessary  to  define 
the  situation  of  this  well-known  sanctuary.  Commentators 
ascribe  various  reasons :  that  it  is  merely  the  style  of  the  late 
writer  ;  that  he  wrote  for  foreign  readers ;  that  he  himself  lived  out- 
side of  Palestine.  We  have  also  an  unexpected  shifting  of  the  camp 
from  Bethel  to  Shiloh.  This  change  may  have  come  through 
the  influence  of  the  following  narrative,  but  it  is  certain  that  the 
author  of  that  older  story  did  not  think  of  the  army  as  encamped 
at  Shiloh.     On  name  see  18 :  31. 

14.  And  yet  so  they  sufficed  them  not.  Two  hundred  still 
lack  wives.  This  statement  makes  room  for  the  introduction  of 
the  older  account. 

15-25.  In  order  to  provide  wives  for  the  remaining  Benjamites 
and  yet  not  violate  their  oath,  the  Israelites  advise  them  to  lie  in 
wait  in  the  vineyards  near  Shiloh  and  seize  and  carry  off  wives 
from  the  daughters  of  the  town  when  they  come  out  to  dance  at 
the  sacred  feast.  They  promise  to  pacify  the  fathers  and  brothers 
of  the  maidens  if  they  should  be  inclined  to  avenge  the  act.  The 
Benjamites  follow  this  advice  and  seize  each  a  wife  and  carry 
them  off  to  their  own  territory,  where  they  rebuild  their  towns* 
The  army  of  the  Israelites  thereupon  disbands  and  each  man  re- 
turns to  his  home. 

15.  This  verse  marks  the  beginning  of  the  older  story.  Made 
a  breach.  The  figure  is  that  of  an  opening  made  in  the  wall  of  a 
city  by  a  hostile  attack,  hence  the  thought  is  somewhat  different 
from  that  in  the  parallel  verse  6.     There  the  author  expresses 

194 


THE   BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


1 6.  Then  the  elders  of  the  congregation  said,  How  shall   R^ 
we  do  for  wives  for  them  that  remain,  seeing  the  women  J 

17.  are  destroyed  out  of  Benjamin?  And  they  said, 
There  must  be  an  inheritance  for  them  that  are  es- 
caped of  Benjamin,  that  a  tribe  be  not  blotted  out 

18.  from  Israel.  Howbeit  we  may  not  give  them  wives 
of  our  daughters :  for  the  children  of  Israel  had  sworn, 
saying,  Cursed  be  he  that  giveth  a  wife  to  Benjamin. 

19.  And  they  said,  Behold,  there  is  ^  a  feast  of  the  Lord 
from  year  to  year  in  Shiloh,  which  is  on  the  north  of  R 
Beth-el,  on  the  east  side  of  the  high  way  that  goeth 
up  from  Beth-el  to  Shechem,  and  on  the  south  of 

^  Or,  the  feast. 

the  sorrow  of  the  people  that  one  of  the  sacred  tribes  should  be 
lacking.  Here  the  writer  is  thinking  of  the  weakening  of  the 
national  defences.  Indeed,  it  was  into  just  this  "  breach  "  that 
the  Philistines  made  their  first  attack  upon  the  hill  country  in 
the  time  of  Saul  (i  Sam.  13,  14). 

16.  Elders  of  the  congregation.  A  mark  of  the  late  writer; 
see  on  20:  I.  The  first  half  of  this  verse  is  a  harmonizing  gloss 
introduced  to  connect  the  story  of  the  rape  of  the  daughters  of 
Shiloh  with  the  preceding  account  of  the  capture  of  the  maidens 
of  Jabesh-gilead.  How  shall  we  do  for  the  wives  for  them  that 
remain?  I.e.  for  the  two  hundred  not  provided  with  wives  from 
Jabesh-gilead. 

17.  There  must  be  an  inheritance  for  them  that  are  escaped 
of  Benjamin.  Literally  the  Hebrew  has  merely,  an  inheritance 
of  the  escaped  of  Benjamin,  which  means  nothing.  Several  emen- 
dations have  been  suggested.  Among  these  We  will  leave  a 
remnant  of  Benjamin  gives  sense,  but  the  rendering  How  shall  a 
remnant  he  saved  of  Benjamin  ?  suits  the  context  better. 

19.  A  feast  of  the  Lord  (Jehovah),  with  its  dances  among  the 
vineyards,  must  have  been  a  local  vintage  festival  (cf.  9:27). 
The  labored  and  detailed  description  of  the  location  of  Shiloh 

195 


21120  THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES 


20.  Lebonah.    And   they   commanded   the    children   of 
J  Benjamin,  saying,  Go  and  lie  in  wait  in  the  vineyards ; 

21.  and  see,  and,  behold,  if  the  daughters  of  Shiloh  come 
out  to  dance  in  the  dances,  then  come  ye  out  of  the 
vineyards,  and  catch  you  every  man  his  wife  of  the 
daughters  of  Shiloh,  and  go  to  the  land  of  Benjamin. 

22.  And  it  shall  be,  when  their  fathers  or  their  brethren 
come  to  ^  complain  unto  us,  that  we  will  say  unto  them, 

R^  Grant  them  ^  graciously  unto  us :  because  we  took  not 

J  for  each  man  of  them  his  wife  in  battle :   neither  did 

ye  give  them  unto  them ;  else  would  ye  now  be  guilty. 

23.  And  the  children  of  Benjamin  did  so,  and  took  them 
wives,  according  to  their  number,  of  them  that  danced, 
whom  they  carried  off :  and  they  went  and  returned 
unto  their  inheritance,  and  built  the  cities,  and  dwelt 


1  Or,  strive  with  us.  *  Or,  as  a  gift. 


(see  on  18:  31)  is  a  late  gloss  from  the  period  when  Shiloh  had 
lost  its  early  importance  and  was  little  known.  Beth-el.  See 
on  1 :  22.  Shechem.  See  on  9:  i.  Lebonah.  The  modern  el- 
Lubban,  three  miles  northwest  of  Shiloh. 

20.  Go  and  lie  in  wait,  etc.,  originally  continued  v.  19a. 

21.  To  dance.  Dancing  and  feasting  were  important  features 
of  the  early  religious  festivals. 

22.  Grant  them  graciously  unto  us  should  probably  be  cor- 
rected to  read  either,  Grant  them  graciously  unto  them,  i.e.  grant  the 
maidens  to  their  captors,  or,  with  some  Or.  Mss.,  Be  gracious 
unto  them.  Because  we  took  not,  etc.  Some  Or.  Mss.  have  because 
they  did  not  get,  etc.  In  battle.  I.e.  in  the  war  waged  against 
Jabesh-gilead  to  secure  wives  for  them.  Neither  did  ye  give 
them  unto  them  ;  else  would  ye  now  be  guilty.  An  attempt  to 
render  a  very  dubious  Hebrew  text.  A  slight  emendation  yields, 
for  if  you  had  given  them  to  them,  you  would  now  he  guilty.  The 
sense  is  clear  in  any  case.     If  the  Shilonites  had  given  their  daugh- 

196 


THE  BOOK  OF  JUDGES  21:25 


24.  in  them.     And  the  children  of  Israel  departed  thence  rp 
at  that  time,  every  man  to  his  tribe  and  to  his  family, 
and  they  went  out  from  thence  every  man  to  his 

25.  inheritance.  In  those  days  there  was  no  king  in 
Israel:  every  man  did  that  which  was  right  in  his 
own  eyes. 

ters  in  marriage  to  the  Benjamites,  they  would  have  been  guilty 
of  breaking  their  vow. 

24.  After  the  affair  was  completely  settled,  the  army  of  Israel 
disbanded  and  each  man  departed  for  his  home. 

25.  A  final  summary  for  the  whole  period.  Since  there  was  no 
king  in  Israel  every  man  did  what  was  pleasing  or  right  in  his 
own  sight;   cf.  17:6;   18:1;   19:1. 


197 


INDEX 


Abdon,  6,  129. 
Abel-meholah,  85. 
Abelocheramin,  124. 
Abimelech,  6,  13,  67,  93. 
Acco,  31. 
Achsah,  25. 
Achzib,  31. 
Adoni-bezek,  23. 
Aijalon,  32. 
Akrabbim,  32. 
Ammon,  44. 

children  of,  113. 
Amorites,  31. 
Anak,  sons  of,  24. 
Angel  of  the  Lord,  33. 
Amon,  119. 
Aroer,  122. 
Asher,  31. 
Asheroth,  42. 
Ashkelon,  142. 
Ashtaroth,  37. 

Baal,  36,  75. 
Baal-berith,  94. 
Baal-tamar,  187. 
Balak,  122. 

Barak,  5,  13,  14,  49,  52. 
Beer,  loi. 
Beersheba,  179. 
Belial,  sons  of,  176. 
Bethanath,  31. 
Beth-barah,  85. 
Bethel,  29. 
Bethlehem,  128,  160. 
Beth-rehob,  168. 
Beth-shean,  29. 


Beth-shemesh,  31. 
Beth-shittah,  84. 
Bezek,  22. 
Bochim,  33,  34. 
Bramble,  fable  of,  98. 

Caleb,  25. 
Canaanites,  22. 
Chemosh,  121. 
Cushan-rishathaim,  42. 

D,  Deuteronomistic  Document,  10. 
Dagon,  152. 

Dan,  130,  162,  163. 

sanctuary  of,  7,  15,  156. 
Debir,  24. 
Deborah,  5,  14,  49,  52. 

palm  tree  of,  51. 

Song  of,  ss. 
DelUah,  7,  149. 
Dodo,  no. 
Dor,  30. 

E,  Ephraimite  Narrative,  11. 
Eglon,  44. 

Ehud,  5,  13,  14,  43,  44. 
Elberith,  107. 
elder,  35. 
Elon,  6,  128. 
En-hakkore,  147. 
ephod,  92,  159. 
Ephraim,  30. 
Ephraimites, 

attack  on  Gideon,  86. 

attack  on  Jephthah,  126. 
Eshtaol,  136. 


199 


INDEX 


Etam,  144. 
evil  spirit,  loi. 

foxes,  Samson's,  143. 

Gaal,  102. 

Gaash,  mountain  of,  36. 

Gaza,  27,  69,  147. 

Gera,  44. 

Gezer,  30. 

Gibeah,  7,  15,  169,  174. 

Gibeon,  187. 

Gideon,  67. 

Gidom,  191. 

Gilead,  62,  114. 

Gilgal,  33. 

Hamath,  41. 
Harod,  spring  of,  79. 
Harosheth,  52. 
Hazor,  50. 
Heber,  53. 
Hebron,  24. 
Heres,  32. 
Hesbon,  120. 
Hill  covmtry,  the,  24. 
Hittites,  41. 
Hivites,  41. 
Holy  trees, 

at  Ophrah,  70. 

at  Shechem,  97. 
Hormah,  27. 

Ibleam,  30. 
Ibzan,  6,  128. 

J,  Judean  Narrative,  11. 
Jabbok, 119. 
Jabesh-gilead,  203. 
Jabin,  49. 
Jael,  54. 
Jahaz,  121. 
Jair,  no. 
Jebus,  173. 
Jebusites,  28. 
Jephthah,  6,  13,  14,  in. 
Jerubbaal,  76. 


Joshua,  35. 
Jotham,  97,  98. 
Judah,  22. 
judges,  38. 

Kadesh,  120. 
Kedesh-naphtali,  52. 
Kenites,  27. 
Kiriath-arba,  24. 
Kiriath-jearim,  165. 
Kiriath-sepher,  24. 
Kishon,  63. 
Kitron,  30. 

Laish,  163. 
Lebonah,  196. 
Lehi,  144. 
Levites,  160. 
Hon,  138. 
Lowland,  the,  24. 

Machir,  61. 

Mahaneh-dan,  136,  165. 

Manasseh,  29. 

Manoah,  131. 

Maonites,  115. 

marriage,  customs  of,  137, 139. 

Massoretic  text,  i. 

Megiddo,  30. 

Meroz,  64. 

Micah,  156. 

Midian,  68. 

Millo,  97. 

Minnith,  124. 

Mizpah,  IIS,  i79« 

Moab,  44. 

Moreh,  hill  of,  79. 

Nakalol,  30, 
Naphtali,  31. 
Nazirites,  131. 
Nobah,  88. 

oil,  in  religious  rites,  98. 
Ophrah,  altar  at,  73- 
Oreb.  86. 


INDEX 


Othniel,  4,  13,  14,  42. 

Simeon,  22, 

ox  goad,  48. 

Sisera,  5,  14,  49- 

Sorek,  valley  of,  148. 

P,  Priests'  Code,  9. 

South,  the  (Negeb),  24. 

Penuel,  89. 

Succoth,  87. 

Perizzites,  22. 

Philistines,  40. 

Taanach,  30. 

Phinehas,  185. 

Tabor,  52. 

Pin,  tent,  54. 

teraphim,  159. 

used  in  weaving,  150. 

Thebez,  108. 

Pirathon,  129. 

Timnah,  136. 

Puah,  109, 

Timnath-heres,  35. 

Tob,  116. 

quarries,  45- 

Tola,  6,  109. 

Ramah,  52,  174. 

Zalmon,  Mount,  107. 

Ramath-lehi,  146. 

Zahnimna,  89. 

riddle,  Samson's,  140. 

Zebah,  89. 

Rimmon,  190. 

Zebul,  103. 

Zebulun,  30. 

Samson,  6,  13,  14,  129,  135. 

Zeeb,  86. 

Shaalbim,  32. 

Zephath,  27. 

Shamgar,  S,  13.  48,  58. 

Zererah,  85. 

Shamir,  no. 

Zidonians,  41,  115,  163. 

Shechem,  95,  107. 

Zogbehah,  89. 

Shiloh,  169,  193,  195. 

Zorah,  130. 

T 


HE  following  pages  contain  advertisements  of  a 
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The  Bible  for  Home  and  School 

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Handbooks,"  etc. 

"  Biblical  science  has  progressed  rapidly  during  the  past  few  years,  but  the 
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Each  volume  is  convenient  in  size,  well  printed  on  excellent  paper, 
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VOLUMES  NOW  READY 

THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  HEBREWS 

By  EDGAR  J.  GOODSPEED,  Assistant  Professor  of  Biblical  and 
Patristic  Greek  in  the  University  of  Chicago. 

Clotk,  ix-\-rj2  pages.    Price,  §o  cents  net  by  mail 

"  It  is  scholarly  and  modern,  yet  simple,  a  truly  interpretive  commentary, 
not  uncritical,  though  criticism  is  not  obtruded,  not  without  the  results  of 
keen  philological  study,  though  the  reader  sees  little  or  nothing  of  the  pro- 
cesses. The  Epistle  becomes  an  illuminating  exponent  of  the  spiritual  life  of 
its  time."  — Benjamin  W.  Bacon  in  the  Yale  Divinity  Quarterly. 

A /^'T'C     Being  the  second  volume  of  Luke's  work  on  the  Beginnings  of 
**'^^  *■  "^    Christianity,  with  interpretative  comment. 

By  GEORGE  HOLLEY  GILBERT,  Ph.D.,  D.D. 

Cloth,  267  pages.    Price,  75  cents  net ;  by  mail,  81  cents 

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GENESIS 

By  HINCKLEY  GILBERT  MITCHELL,  Ph.D.,  D.D.,  Professor 
of  Hebrew  and  Old  Testament  Exegesis  in  Boston  University. 

Cloth,  jyy pages.    Price,  go  cents  net;  by  mail,  gj  cents 

"  The  introduction  to  this  volume  on  Genesis  gives  the  very  best  and  clear- 
est analysis  of  the  book,  according  to  the  '  modern  critical  theories,'  to  be 
had  anywhere." —  Tke  Presbyterian. 

"  Genesis  has  always  been  one  of  the  most  popular  books  of  the  Bible,  yet 
in  some  ways  it  is  one  of  the  most  difficult.  These  difficulties  arise  partly 
from  the  book  itself  and  partly  from  the  popular  conception  of  the  book.  It 
takes  scholarship  to  handle  the  first  class  of  difficulties,  and  courage  the  sec- 
ond ;  and  Dr.  Mitchell  has  both  scholarship  and  courage.  .  .  .  The  notes 
are  learned  and  brief  and  have  a  vivacity  that  make  Genesis  seem  quite  a 
modern  book."  —  Boston  Transcript. 


GALATIANS 

By  BENJAMIN  WISNER  BACON,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of 

New  Testament  Criticism  and  Exegesis  in  Yale  University. 

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"  Learned,  vigorous,  and  stimulating."  —  A merican  yournalof  Theology. 
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compass."  —  The  Reform  Church  Review. 


COLOSSIANS  AND  EPHESIANS 

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Cloth,  132 pages.     Price,  50  cents  ;  by  mail,  55  cents 

"Judging  from  the  volumes  that  have  appeared,  the  general  editor  of  these 
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the  skill  so  to  treat  the  books  of  the  Bible  that  they  come  to  the  men  of  to-day 
with  vital  power.  The  introductions  to  these  two  epistles  are  marvels  of  com- 
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DEUTERONOMY 

By  Professor  W.  G.  JORDAN,  of  Queens  University. 

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ISAIAH 

By  JOHN  E.  McFADYEN,  Professor  of  Old  Testament  Literature 
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JOB 


By  GEORGE  A.  BARTON,  A.M.,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of  Biblical 
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Price,  go  cents  net 

The  commentary  differs  from  the  large  majority  of  commentaries  on  Job,  in 
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ing unsolved,  but  proposed  for  it  a  solution,  the  most  profound  that  can  b« 
suggested,  and  that  a  religious  solution. 


JUDGES 

By  E.  L.  CURTIS. 

Cloth.    Price,  75  cents  net 

In  general  style  this  addition  to  the  "  Bible  for  Home  and  School "  follows 
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The  book  well  carries  out  the  spirit  and  aim  of  the  series —  to  place  at  the 
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Prof.  MARVIN   R.  VINCY^^T ,  Professor  of  New  Testament  Exe- 
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The  History  of  the  Higher  Criticism  of  the 
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Prof.  HENRY  S.  liA.'&ll,  Professor  of  New  Testament  Interpreta- 
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Introduction  to  the  Books  of  the 
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Prof.  B.  WISNER  BACON,  Professor  of  New  Testament  Inter- 
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The  Teaching  of  Jesus 

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The  Biblical  Theology  of  the  New  Testament 

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